yO~

Rewrote this chapter, deleted a lot of detail and made it simpler. I will be writing like this more often, not much detailed, but enough to walk through the story. Please let me know if you see any difference.

I am re-writing the 8th chapter now. I actually wanted to create a really negative character, but found that even negative characters need to be given a chance to tell their story. I am changing the story a bit, well and time will tell.

Please let me know if you have any suggestions and corrections, even criticism is welcome.

Thanks and Enjoy!

Chapter 7 : Army

I have to find out what happens to people who die...

Ken was searching the forums and across different discussion groups on what would have happened if you die in the game. There was some groups saying that they would be reborn into the same race, a few that they would be transported to another world like hell or purgatory, but a certain group said that it was the end of the game for these people and they might have to start from the beginning, since a large amount of games did that, which worried him. He has spend too much time and money into this game to start anew.

Whenever he tried to login, he would be greeted with a window in the while room saying he had N' hours before he can login again. So, he as a bit satisfied that he could join the game, be it as an old character or new.

He checked to see if anyone else had died in the game, but no one had reported it like him because of the shame or because, I was the first to die in-game, he thought.

***

Nel was terrified at first, but later he started to enjoy the view. He knew that the bird or what now looks like an owl is actually a player and with every land, lake and clearing they crossed he grew jealous.

Karen was struck by the crab's weird demeanour. Initially the crab stuck to its shell like glue, but with time she had to balance appropriately because the crab looked like it he was going to jump out. At a regular interval the crab would touch her claws to position themselves in the right direction and it seemed they were going north east towards a valley near the Great mountains.

She flew above the clouds as it began to rain with great difficulty, but it was easier that flying in the rain. And finally when the crab touched her claw she dove downwards through the dark rain clouds, but she realised the rain was longer than usual. As she slowly flew down towards the location they reached the beginning of the valley, but this was different. Right in-between the valley stood a Grand tree even larger than the one she was born on. She saw that the crab was bewildered by the sight of it as well.

Slowly pacing downwards, the crab touched her claw and the feeling of something was calling from below the Grand tree.

Karen slowly circled around the whole length of the tree which by them the rain was followed by fog. She knew she had to search for an entrance or opening else, they would be lost in the fog. As she circled around the crab slowly gripped at her claw and she saw that the crab was pointing his pincer towards a small overgrowth of roots near the bottom, but as she got closer it was a hollow and dark entrance to something. When the crab touched her claw once again, the throbbing feeling inside them confirmed their suspicion and she flew inside as it took them deep underground.

"I wonder where he went. ", thought Crimson as he was alone when logged into the game, but he didn't really hope for Dan to wait for him here as well. He waited for Dan for a while then he started to understand how his new addition looked on him. Crimson looked around for a while then started to concentrate on moving his wings up and down. It was weird at first as he lifted off the ground, but as he flew around he could move more freely. He just had to think of it like a bodily function and he would move in that direction he wanted. It was like the oscillations of a pendulum suspended from a person's finger, it would oscillate in the direction the person thinks of.

After a few hours of practise he could move swiftly between trees and it greatly increased his mobility. As he returned to the spot he found Dan awaiting his company and on seeing or rather hearing the buzzing sound coming closer, Dan stood up greeting him.

"Hey! You're back. "

"Yup. What's up? You look exhausted."

"I...", he paused, "I went to the village, everyone was different, the players at least. They have grown stronger, but not like us, very minimal changes, but they have grown stronger. "

"I see... I wonder what my village looks like now. ", Crimson said as he imagined going back to every ant flying around with wings.

"So you going to come to the Entomo village with me?", asked Crimson, but before Dan could reply.

GROOOOOOOWL!!!!!

Dan's stomach seems to have spoken up before he could. Crimson laughed which creeped out Dan, but before he could object, GROOWOWWOLL!!!!!

"Let's ...have... some ...heh.. food ...then.. ", Crimson tried to say .

"I... Sure.", muttered Dan.

"You stomach is much louder than you.", said Crimson as he followed Dan, who was now moving towards the forest.

They found the trail of a creature nearby and it was something larger than normal, the footprint was like two horns dug into the ground, it was the almost more than half the size of Dan's footprint which was quite large. The trail led them to a group of wild boars or something larger than that which was marking its territory by rubbing it's tusks on the trees nearby.

As they got near the wild board snorted out at them. "Trespassers!"

Crimson heard the board speak and as soon as it snorted at them it ran towards them in full speed or all the speed it could muster. Dan stood motionless as the boar approached and Crimson did the same, when the boar was just about to stab Dan, he swat it towards a tree nearby with enough force such that as the boar met with the tree it shook rattling all the leaves.

"Trespassers! My land!", it kept squealing as it tried to stand up.

Dan stood there doing nothing and Crimson stood there with him looking at the squealing pig before them with its bones broken by the crash and blood gushing through its nose.

"I didn't expect to hear them talk.", said Crimson.

"I met something like this similar.", muttered Dan looking at the pig as it fell down again repeating "Trespassers" again.

Crimson was conflicted by the change of things before him, but he had made up his mind. He felt the same when fighting against the wolves and the bear, but talking just bring another dimension to it. Dan and Crimson stood looking at the squealing and snorting boar.

"We don't have a hunger bar, but I'm pretty sure yours is low enough to start affecting your stats soon. Finish it off so that we can continue.", said Crimson looking at Dan.

"I... it talks. Doesn't seem ...humane killing it.", said Dan.

"We aren't humans here. Moreover, do you eat meat in real life?"

"I.. get what you are trying to say...but...", said Dan as he mustered up some courage as he stepped towards the boar.

"Trespasser!! Go away!!" , snorted the boar trying to get up. Dan looked down at the boar and remembered all the time he would bite down on the throat of the prey to finish it off quickly, but now he picked up his paw and snapped it at a speed only few could follow which twisted the boards face killing it with one blow.

"I understand that it must be hard, but..", started Crimson

" ..the way it works. Isn't it.", retorted Dan as he saw the boar start to bleed out. The game was 99% realistic, but the remaining 1% was reserved just so that all the players don't turn out to be psychotic with the game play.

The blood drained away in minutes and the carcass laid there waiting for Dan to devour. Crimson looked at his hesitation and he went into the forest bringing out a bunch of dried branches from nearby trees.

Dan looked at him not speaking or doing anything; Crimson called him nearby and asked him to use his huge paws to dig in a circle around the twigs he placed on the ground. He then pushed the twigs into the hole and struck both his forefeet quickly enough to create sparks lighting few of the dried leaves. Then slowly picking up the boar carcass and placed it in the space left by the removing of the twigs. The flames slowly grew with every breeze cooking the meat slowly.

Dan was surprised at the sight of food cooking before him. The skin from the boar had burned away and the flames burned away all the hair. Within a few minutes, the fire had to be turned down and Crimson nodded to Dan, who pushed in the dirt he had dug out back into the fire putting it out.

Dan tried to touch the boar, "It going to be hot, wait a few more minutes for it to cool down.", said Crimson.

Dan enjoyed the barbeque and he didn't feel guilty for eating it now. When he said the same to Crimson, he said, "It deserved to be cooked."

Dan couldn't say thank you, but managed to squeeze one through his fangs as they rushed towards Crimson's village.

They travelled for couple of hours until they crossed the valley that Crimson once actually met Dan and reached the forest of the wolves. But after a few minutes, Dan felt weird as if the whole forest was watching them and he could hear them muttering ." He is back... The Blood ant is back...beware.", to which Dan could only imagine what was happening.

Karen had taken them deep into the core of the tree's root which was a labyrinth by itself, with many diversion and dead ends. It was not dark as they had hoped, the moss on the walls were glowing showing them what was a few feet ahead them, but not the way through out as the moss only reacted to their presence. They could sense whatever was calling them, but it was like sensing it through 100 layers of walls. A puzzle before them, with no sight to aid them and as they kept moving until the next dead end.

Nel nudged at the Owl's claws asking her to put him down, but Karen ignored the cold feeling on her feet. Nel then gave her a small pinch which she then noticed and placed him on the ground. Nel slowly went towards the wall of the root and started to eat the glowing moss, he wasn't sure it was poisonous or not, but he just did and to his surprise it did taste earthy like mushroom.

Karen was confused by Nels actions, but she waited for him as he started to eat the glowing moss, her eye sight were perfect in the dark and she could see it clearly, it was pure white in colour and it had many whiskers like hairs on this which were also white and these whiskers were the things that were glowing.

When Nel had finished Karen look at the crab with respect. Nel had ate the glowing moss, but only at a few places to make it look like an arrow pointing a straight line which showed them there was a dead end in the direction it pointed.

Nel now again nudged at her feet and they again started to find a different path to reach their goal.

What stood before Dan was a mystery, but the one more stupefied was Crimson. The underground hive was completely changed and instead stood before him an ant hill. He moved around it for a while, but could not come back to meet Dan so he turned back. He then contacted Sham'tu and waited outside with Dan.

Sham'tu came out from the top of the Ant hill and marched directly towards Crimson.

"Greeting to the Guardians.", he said looking at both of them and continued facing Crimson, "Guardian Crimson has come at a very important time, the other - travellers have began fighting for the control of the colony. The elders are unable to control them.

I hope you can bring order to all this mayhem. "

"That should be easy. ", Crimson replied, to which Dan was looking at Crimson with a questioning glance.

"Any reason why the ant colony has moved above the ground, I haven't been gone for over two days and I come back to find so many changes. "

"You have changed a lot as well Great Guardian, but the reason why the Colony moved towards the outside is because of the lower chambers have fallen in because of water rising from under the ground. The water raises every day and soon, we believe it will cover all land. "

Dan looked at the massive hill before him and felt great pride for the industrious lot.

"Amazing.", Crimson said and looked at the mountain before him, "Thank you Sham'tu. Can you call the Elders..., No, I will call them myself. Thank you again and sorry to have called you on short notice. "

"Understood, Anything for the Great Guardian.", Sham'tu replied and Crimson replied nothing and he returned back to the hill.

Dan looked at Crimson with a smug look on his face and said, "So Greeat Guardiaaan..."

"What?"

"How did you call him?"

"Mmm... Comes with the skills.", said Crimson not wanting to disclose something he didn't understand himself.

"Fair enough, so you gonna fight off the others to take control over your colony?"

"I don't have to fight, I already control it. ", said Crimson with a smile on his face, which gave him Goosebumps.

Dan looked at Crimson as he stood and started to rub his scales against himself creating a sort of annoying sound. "Will you stop doing that anytime soon."

"Doing what?"

"Vibrating..."

"Oh, well that's how ants communicate. "

"Oh... then how are you talking with me now."

"I'm not sure, maybe it's a skill."

"Oh..Could be..", he thought to himself which Dan did not interrupt.

After a few moments a troop which seemed like a veil of dark colour came out of the hill and towards them, Dan was shocked and intimidated by the sight, but they moved in a quick but a pace which seemed non hostile.

"Greetings Guardian", said an ant which stood in front to which Crimson nodded and the other behind the elder nodded in his direction.

"I believe you might know why I called you here?"

"Guardian, that is the only thing we do not know, you are of the hive, but foreign to its society. Unless you speak your mind, we do not know the reason you called us here. "

Crimson stood there nodding and thinking to himself, "I see."

"- I had called you to let you know, there will be a war coming soon. The hive below is no longer going to sustain us as it will be overrun with water. What do you think?"

The ants all stood still for a moment. To Dan it seemed like they stopped processing, but Crimson knew what they were doing, they were relaying the decision across, the hive has no leader, no queen nor any king, it is a self sustaining life force which works towards survival.

"Yes, the underground chambers have started to collapse and almost one fourth has been filled with water.

If you would lead us, we are ready to move.", replied the elder suddenly.

Dan was amazed by the unity of the elders, one spoke for the lot and no one disagreed. What a structured colony, he thought to himself.

"Are there any rebellious travellers who do not think for the good of the hive."

The elder looked down at the ground and so did the others. Dan did not understand what caused the emotionless and mannered ants before him to drop their head in shame.

"Yes, it seems everyone of your apprentices have. ", Crimson replied, " Go and talk to them, let them know of the things to come, and if they do not heed to your advice -", the elders looked at him, "- send them to me. "

"We will inform them Guardian.", the ants replied and started to return back to the hill.

Before they went out of sight Crimson said , "If there are no objections on my command, everyone moves out in the next eight cycles.", they nodded without any question and continued on their way.

Dan stood there unable to comprehend what had happened, and as though nothing had happened Crimson started to patrol around the hill. Crimson surveyed the forest and of its growth during his absence and saw that the borders of the forest were thinning. The ants had moved their territory more into the Wolves luckily due to the decrease in the populace of the wolves, but it also seems the bears have also stretched their territories. A bear would cover around half a mile of space, but now it seems bears have started to move into each other's territories and thus fighting against themselves.

Dan looked at the surrounding lands with Crimson and saw that he would not have survived here, nothing was weak enough for a cub to hunt. Even the weakest wolf was stronger than a half grown cub, but when Crimson walked through their forest it was like a hot blade cutting through butter, everything turned to nothing near him and all life moved away from his path until he reached the top of the sunrise mountain.

Dan followed Crimson and as he lay down on the ground. He wanted to get used to his body and looked at Crimson who looked like he was always thinking something.

"Hey!" , Crimson turned to face Dan and he waited for a while, "What do we do now?"

"We wait for their them and then we move towards your camp tomorrow."

Dan was looked at his furry paws which were concealing the hidden talons waiting to tear at something. He felt them itch as he moved them slowly, looking at it like mesmerised in its movement.

"So what do you plan on doing until then.", Dan said after having broken away from his self induced trance.

"How are you coping with that new body? Want to give it a test run?", Crimson replied with a grin which looked more mischievous as he tried to use his wings.

Dan stood up and readied himself with a smirk of his own as he rushed towards Crimson, who was slowly drifting away from the ground. Before Dan could reach Crimson, he shifted his weight towards his right which made him move in that direction swiftly, but before he could control the movement he struck wood.

"OUCH!!", said Dan mocking.

"So I need to check how that works...", said Crimson to himself as he again drifted off the ground and approaching Dan by swaying within limits of his shadow.

Dan charged at him, but Crimson did a quick movement which was a blur, Dan's instinct buzzed something behind him to which he clawed while turning cutting through the cold air.

"Close!", remarked Crimson as he sped sideways dodging his blow.

They fight for hours, in the rain and sneaking swiftly around the fog, learning and understanding their new strength.

The elders had sent their apprentices towards the hill, but no one interfered with their fight fearing the circumstances. Before them was a fight which was flattening the hill with every bout, but little did they know that the guardians were just playing around.