Reidar stared down the ravine. The Worker Vorathid ants surged upward, using their legs like iron hooks, embedding them into the mossy walls.

Amber eyes were locked on him and Lena, who was calm as usual. The creature's snapping mandibles clashing in wet snaps that echoed off the stone gave him the chills.

<Is she made of stone?> There still was no reaction from Lena.

"You sure know how to surprise a guy," Reidar said. "Cattle-sized ants. Jeez, I would have never expected." He paused.

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about stepping on them by accident."

Lena's laugh burst out. It rang strangely in Reidar's ears, like hearing ice crack underfoot. He opened his mouth to ask what was so funny about the situation, but shrieks pierced the air, scraping too damn close.

And more were almost there.

He glanced below. Hundreds of ants crested the ravine lip, and their claws gouged furrows in the earth.

Reidar gripped his Shepherd's Crook and started channeling mana, making it stir inside his body.

Unfortunately, Reidar only had one Contubernium available since the skill proficiency was low. That was all he could summon now as far as ranged units went. Ten elemental sprites.

There was not going to be a distance barrage to thin the herd from up here. But that wasn't a problem. He turned behind.

Swathes of skeletons were waiting behind him, thousands of them. Far less than the monsters rushing on top of the ravine, but replaceable. Bones rattled, and swords and shields reflected the sun.

Among them were countless beasts in the form of Panthers, Bears and wolves. They weren't the only ones.

The Spectral Knights, albeit just ten, were there too, riding atop some of the wolves, and the guardian shades, hundreds of them, were there too to replenish the mana of the creature who summoned them.

"Let's get back," Reidar said, grabbing Lena's arm. The frontline is not going to be safe for either of us, especially you since you are in this condition.

She nodded, but it was clear she wasn't happy. The fight that was about to take place was going to give her C.L.A.P.S. points only because she summoned some creatures through Reidar's shared skills, but she would not be able to do anything else. Whatever she gained would just be because she was in Reidar's party.

Reidar yanked Lena toward the rear as the first Vorathid ants crested the ravine.

She stumbled, leaning hard on his arm; her breaths were labored despite Reidar's healing spell's work. Her head was dizzy.

Circle of Renewal had closed the wound on her head and set her broken bones, but the blood loss still drained her, leaving her weak and unsteady.

Her skin remained pale and dizziness forced her to grip Reidar's shoulder just to stand. She was having trouble walking.

"I'll bring you to a wolf," Reidar said, and then he helped her get on top of one of his summons. "I don't have to tell you that you are not going to fight, right?"

Lena's eyes flashed in defiance, but she nodded, sinking against the back of the beast. Her hands trembled as she clenched the wolf's fur, cursing under her breath.

The first ants vaulted the rim at that point.

Reidar raised his wand. Skeletons surged past, blades flashing in bone-white ranks, crashing into the ant vanguard. Wolves and bears flanked them, claws raking chitin, while the spectral knights charged atop the summoned mounts.

The air quickly filled with shrieks and snaps as the armies collided, and even notifications appeared.

\[You struck a Worker Vorathid Ant for 743 fire damage.\]

\[You struck a Worker Vorathid Ant for 689 fire damage.\]

\[Skeleton struck a Worker Vorathid Ant for 547 slash damage.\]

\[Skeleton struck a Worker Vorathid Ant for 759 slash damage.\]

\[Level 55 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

\[You have gained 3343.2 C.L.A.S.P. Points.\]

\[You have earned 1002.96 Survival Points.\]

\[Level 53 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

\[You have gained 3309 C.L.A.S.P. Points.\]

\[You have earned 992 survival points.\]

\[Level 54 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

\[Level 51 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

\[Level 50 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

\[Level 57 Worker Vorathid ant defeated.\]

…

…

…

Skeletons lunged, spears plunging into soft underbellies. The panther pounced, tearing a leg free in a spray of ichor. Ants swarmed over a knight, only for its blade to carve through chitin like parchment.

Reidar channeled mana, readying a fireball. The line was holding up to that point.

The man swung his wand, and a fireball erupted from the tip to slam into the nearest ant's swollen abdomen. The creature burst in a spray of venom that sizzled against the ground and killed some of its brethren.

Reidar barked orders to his summons. "Push them back! Shove the bastards over the edge!"

Skeletons surged forward in ranks, shields locked, spears thrusting low. They rammed into the ant vanguard.

One skeleton hooked a mandible and heaved; the ant teetered, then plummeted into the ravine with a screech. Another followed, knocked sideways by a bear's shoulder charge. The fall crushed three more ants below.

The wolves darted through the chaos, nipping at legs to throw the crawlers off balance. A panther leaped, claws digging deep into an ant's underbelly and dragging it sideways.

The beast tumbled, pulling two more down with it in a mess of tangled limbs. A knight's shove sent an entire group skidding.

Notifications flashed in Reidar's vision.

\[Worker Vorathid Ant defeated. You have gained 3,344 C.L.A.S.P. Points.\]

\[Worker Vorathid Ant defeated. You have gained 3,310 C.L.A.S.P. Points.\]

\[Worker Vorathid Ant defeated. You have gained 3,289 C.L.A.S.P. Points.\]

Scores fell like that—some met direct strikes while others succumbed to the ravine's deadly drop. A primal bear roared, smashing through the ranks to topple a dozen at once. The skeletons pressed forward, an unyielding tide of bone that refused to falter.

The ants faltered. The survivors clung to the walls as their claws scrabbled for purchase and their mandibles snapped at the empty air. The ravine became a graveyard.

Reidar wiped sweat from his brow. The guardian shades hovered, siphoning ambient energy to refill him. Lena watched from her wolf without missing a moment despite her weakness.

"We go in," he said to her. "The nest, I mean. It might not be the best of the ideas, but at least we will be able to clear this place and make it safe."

She gripped the wolf's fur tighter. "Let's go then. If there is an ant nest, there should be a queen. Just be careful; the soldiers are stronger than the workers."

Danger lurked in those tunnels—queens, soldiers, endless swarms. But scores lay broken already. It didn't matter. Reidar advanced, summons closing ranks behind him.

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