There once was a guild master sly,

Who met me with a twinkling eye.

We haggled and fought,

Till a deal we both bought,

Now I'm rich—but I don't quite know why!

Goldie Honorhide

Yoboc spoke up, "What is in it for them? Yes, we know this situation meets the Emergency Monster criteria, but you are not trying to enlist us all, so you are not enacting those clauses. So the benefits need to be good, because we just came through there, and know what it is like."

"We will cut you in on an equal share of the contract. As for loot, you kill it, and you keep it. Monster cores are sold, and the coins are distributed," Nash said. I think he was a little annoyed at Yoboc butting in.

"What is the completion criteria for the contract?" Yoboc asked.

"Destruction of all queens and queen eggs," Nash said.

"What is the contract worth?" Yoboc continued.

"Worth enough to get me out here," he said. "If we are not successful, then the Dukes' next option is to hire an Avion Nest to bomb it with poison and acid, and you know how expensive they are to hire."

Yoboc grunted in agreement. "Who do you have with you?" he asked next. "Don't tell me they are a bunch of young'ins looking for their first monster kill?"

"We have some of that, but the core group is experienced, based around the Teeth Nashers. I filtered out the weak." He pulled a potion bottle from a pouch, "We also have plenty of potions to boost fire resistance. The cost will be taken from the main bounty."

"If you achieve it," Yoboc said.

"I wouldn't be out here without a plan," the Guildmaster said.

"To do with those barrels you are carting around?" Yoboc asked.

Nash nodded, "Poison water. The water will evaporate and turn into poison gas, which is apparently heavier than air, and it will sink into their tunnels. It is why we took so long, waiting for the alchemists to mix it. The idea is to leave the horse and move with speed to the main nest. We smash the barrels, back off, wait for the poison to work, and then move in and finish what is left."

"Sounds too easy," Yoboc said.

Nash nodded, "Nothing ever goes according to plan. That is why I am trying to recruit these two. From what your scoutmaster said, I don't think our six barrels will be enough. The good news is that he was pretty sure of the nest's location, to within a kilometre or so."

"These two stand out as different," Yoboc continued. "Do you have any hotheads with you that might cause trouble? They don't need to be watching their back at the same time."

"Half the bloody guild are hotheads. Mog here will be your liaison, and she will stomp on idiots," Nash said.

"I love stomping idiots," Mog said.

Yoboc was apparently satisfied, "Up to you two," he said.

Makara looked at the Guildmaster, "I want more specifics on pay. Affinity users are worth more than just an equal share, especially as my water straight up counters the fire. To be clear, the Ant Cruncher is also worth a larger share. He also comes with his trusty sidekick, Felix the Fearless."

Now she was just making fun of us.

I tuned them out as I considered whether I wanted to go back and, if so, what I wanted out of it. What I wanted to look at was this fire-aspected spiritual energy.

The fire of the fire ants was very different to my Solar Flare. Their fire would not burn in the void, and mine did. However, their spiritual energy had some similarities. My Astral affinity was difficult to figure out, and I needed to get to the Lore Society, hoping they had more books. However, I was not interested in letting a lead go without investigating it further.

"Ivan. Ivan! You spaced out there. Are you happy with that deal?" Makara asked.

I looked at the expectant faces. I had no clue what she had just negotiated. Hearing Aid did pick up Mog's muttering, "Great, an idiot I can't stomp."

"No," I said, "I am not." I looked at Nash, "I don't care too much about the coin." I saw Goldie roll her eyes, "What I want is a pair of Monster cores. Fire ant monster cores, one for me and one for Felix."

"If you are trying to turn him into a monster by feeding him cores, you will just kill him," Nash said. "I have put down rabid bonds and their masters before."

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I was not aware that was possible—something else I need to look up in the Lore Society. "That is not the object; what I do with them is my business. Two Fire ant cores are my price."

"That is worth more than everything she just negotiated for you. You are not worth it. No." Nash said.

Makara spoke up, "Guildmaster, it is too dangerous to go in there without him. We have been in there we know what it is like. If he does not come then neither do I. I can't spend coins if I am dead."

Nash looked like he was getting a headache. "Here is the deal, then. You," he pointed at me, "will get only what you kill and carry and two monster ant cores, and you," he pointed at Makara, "will get 25% less than what we just negotiated. Get the balance off him," he said, pointing at me. "But, this will only happen if we recover more than four cores. Otherwise, you are only getting one, and you had better show me you are worth it when we get to the edge of the ants, or you will only get standard rates and no cores. That is it. Take it or leave it."

I looked at Makara. She looked at me like she was absolutely going to get her 25% from me. I shrugged. We have bounties to collect and contracts to complete. There would be plenty of coin.

"I am in," I said.

"OK," Makara said, "We're in."

"Right. We meet an hour before dawn across the river. We will be moving fast and light. Bring only what you need. I suggest you scrounge some better armour, but you have been there. You bring what you need." They got up. "An hour before dawn, don't be late."

After they had gone, Makara said, "What about the crates?"

"We will get the crates to Jern and find somewhere to stay," Yoboc said. "Chances are you will catch up with us on the road." Then he got serious, "Don't underestimate the monsters. The queens will make short work of Felix, and they will have their elites close."

I could tell he was thinking of his bond with Sheila. Monsters are unpredictable, even with the best plans. We reassured him and got our packs ready. They were mostly empty packs to bring out what we killed. Water was the biggest item. Makara couldn't supply any when she was low on energy. We borrowed as many water containers as we could.

I looked at my tattered armour. The faux boots were barely hanging together, but the leggings were not. The jacket was barely hanging together. The damage from the wolves had just worsened, and I thought the armour was more of a hindrance than protection. I still had the leather vest from my 'home town' that I wore to Becov, and then got this one. It was in better condition, but had no sleeves.

I had no boots, my leggings were basically shorts, and I had a vest with no arms. Nobody in the caravan was near my size. Well hot shit, I am going into a nest of fire ants half naked, and there is nothing I can really do about it.

My spear was good. I took my axe and debated taking a shield, but decided to do without the weight. I had my bone knife and a spare steel one.

Makara was going to rely on her scales and her water, so we were really going to stand out amongst the heavily armoured warriors. Makara was bringing her spear and knives. We looked underequipped.

We crossed the river a little early, and final preparations were underway. Most of the time, people were filling canteens in the river.

"You two look to be in the wrong place," a voice said.

"A bit early for swimming, isn't it?" said another.

Then Mog was there, "If you upset our affinity user, you will upset me." She looked at us and raised an eyebrow, but only said, "This way."

Nash was talking with two others, and he also looked funny when we turned up.

"These two look like they are ready for a day at the beach," said the human with them.

Makara gave him a big smile with lots of teeth, "The weather is going to be hot!" she said

"I was hoping for rain," said Nash. "Here," he handed us three bottles and a tub each. "The red one boosts the Fire Resistance for about half an hour for an orc-sized person. The other two are mid-grade general healing, and this is burn cream. Just rub it on to soothe burns. Anything we need to know before we leave?"

"Yeah," I said, but Nash stopped me before I could continue.

"Everybody gather around for some final instructions!" he yelled.

Once everybody gathered, I said, "The leading edge of the ants is the thickest, but also the smallest. If I use my skill to get us through that, and then we switch to whatever method you guys have, that will save me energy." Nash nodded. "Ok, we will travel in a line in pairs. I will set the pace and clear the front with Felix," I indicated him. "You will have to stop them coming in from the sides, but we will be moving at a fast run till we clear the front, so we should outdistance the ants. Can someone share a map marker for where the nest is?"

Nash said, "Thomas, Map." I felt a map request, which I allowed. Nash continued, "Once we clear the front, we will start in formation one and rotation one. Thomas is the guide; follow his instructions. Barrel carriers rotate every fifteen minutes to keep everyone fresh. The plan is not to stop until we get to the nest. After we kill the nest, you can loot. Makara, please explain your role."

"I have Fresh water, but energy management is key. I can flood the ground, but it is inefficient when you have weapons. I will keep you fresh and cool and be there for emergencies. I am here for when everything goes to shit," she explained.

Nash, spoke up, "It will go to shit at some point. Monster fights always do. We watch each other's backs and follow the commands. The chain of command is me, Mog, Thomas, Fred, and Sandy. If none of us are left, run."

"Do we have to watch out for the dog too?" somebody asked.

"If you want him to watch your back, then I suggest you do," I countered.

Mog spoke up, "The dog is Felix and is bonded to Ivan. If anybody has a problem with Felix, Ivan or Makara, they have a problem with me. Is. That. Clear!"

There was a murmuring of assent. Mog obviously has a reputation.

Nash said, "Grab the barrels, we are moving out."

They formed the lines quickly enough, and then we set out on a fast jog. As we ran, I got a feel for our speed and shaped my aura to be longer and narrower than with the caravan. It was uphill to the smoky haze that was the ant front line.

I checked my Map and saw the marker away to the north of the caravan route that was marked on my map. The distance on the map was pretty accurate now, and we would take most of the day to get there at our current pace.

I loosened up and flexed my aura. I upped the intensity of Void Sensing and Spiritual Sensing. I wanted to sense this energy.

As we neared, I took my last fresh breath. This was going to be a long, painful couple of days.

I checked the line and settled my aura. Here goes.

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