After his struggle with the Emberant, Paul felt a lot better. He had proven that he could survive in this new world and he was basking in the feeling of victory.
(Hehehehe)
Paul would have giggled out loud, were it not for his bird form.
He knew he shouldn't get carried away, since his win wasn't easy, but he couldn't help himself.
The dangers were around the corner and he was aware of that. Even so it didn't change the fact that he won and he felt a burning desire inside him to rub it in someones face. However to his dismay, there was no one in the vicinity.
Another reason for his elevated mood, was far more important. Thanks to this encounter, he had gained a new form capable of digging. Despite the existence of a nearby ant colony being a very real danger, he was also no longer limited to this small cavern.
He didn't have to wait until he learned how to fly. Now he had ample choice of where to go by simply picking a direction and digging his way to freedom.
(This is sooo much better than the alternative)
Before he found out that the Salamander wasn't there anymore, he had planned to take on the it's form and then hopefully become able to cross the lava.
But with his Emberant transformation, that concern disappeared, even if it didn't increase his fighting prowess as much as the Salamander would have given him.
(But first, there is something I wanna try)
Paul changed into his human toddler form and entered the pond. Thankfully it wasn't particularly deep, just enough for him to keep his nose above water when tiptoeing. Despite the difficulty, he somehow managed to drag the ants corpse out of the pond.
(Damn, this fatass, why'd you have to be so heavy for an ant?)
He stood there for a moment huffing and panting, before he transformed into his bird form once more, ready to start.
He walked around the ant corpse and used his beak to peck at different points on its exoskeleton, in order to examine it. It was necessary to learn of any unexpected weaknesses, after all he had to assume this form for prolong periods of time. On top of that it would help in case he encountered anymore Emberant.
Several minutes later he had made a few surprising discoveries.
The ants exoskeleton didn't cover its entire body, but rather was separated as plates that lined the different body parts. In between those plates he found lines of squishy flesh that were hot to the touch.
The first time he found one such lines, it gave him a scare. For a second he thought it was still alive, as he felt the heat coming from it.
He even got ready to peck its eyes out but soon realized that he simply jumped to conclusions.
Later on in his inspection, he noticed several more such lines exuding heat. This left bewilderd, until he remembered the glowing spots on its body during the fight.
(Are these like … heat conductors?)
He reasoned that a monster digging through this terrain, which includes flowing lava, would require a way to survive the immense heat and prevent it from being cooked alive. Just like the Salamander could swim through the lava, this ant had an in built system to deal with the environment. In fact it wasn't merely a survival mechanism, as it could channel the heat
(Wait, I have the [Fire attack] skill, so can I do the same if I use this ant form? No, before that … can I use my skills in my other forms?)
Excited at the prospect, he immediately transformed into his ant form.
(Hehehe, I can't believe I didn't think of testing this before)
Once he activated his [Fire attack] skill, he spat out a small fireball.
(Well, I guess that's to be expected)
His first attempt wasn't what he was hoping for, but Paul didn't give up. As he eventually observed the mandibles naturally absorbing the heat from his fireball, he tried to engulf them in the fire he created and a minute later-
he ran out of Fey.
(Goddamn it! … Fine, whatever, time to recharge)
Annoyed at the inconvenience, he returned to the nest. At this point waiting for his Fey to fill up, had become a regular activity and so he didn't think much about it, but then-
Thud!
He smacked face first into the barrier that had saved him so many times.
(What the hell? Why can't I go in?)
Paul stood perplexed in front of his nest and used the shovel like front legs to tap against the barrier, to find a way in but couldn't actually get past, what used to be the only thing that kept him safe.
(Why? What's going on? It was never a problem before)
He couldn't figure out what was going on. Why was this happening now? The barrier made by a goddess shouldn't be malfunctioning. So why?
The current situation was rather confusing for him, as he hadn't expected to get locked out of his own house. Especially when there was never a key for him to lose or forget about.
(What to do now?)
Not knowing how to solve this issue, he used his front leg to kick a rock in frustration.
It was then that he realized.
(Don't tell me … is it because of this form?)
His compound eyes widened in astonishment, while he finally arrived at a logical conclusion.
(The Salamander couldn't make it past the barrier either. What if it was made so only a Phoenix can pass through? Then I just have to turn back into … Shit, I'm out of Fey)
Paul was stuck for the moment, at least until he got his Fey back. Even if he now understood how to get back inside, he was forced to wait.
(Bruh, what an oversight, I can't even change forms to go in)
With nothing else to do, his body flopped to ground lethargically. He didn't feel like moving from the spot.
(This is stupid and now I'm stuck waiting out here. Is there like, a lock replacement service in this world?)
The were no more threats to his knowledge in the vicinity, so he relaxed and lazed around. After all there was nothing for him to do.
As he laid there and waited for his Fey to come back, he didn't notice what was happening in the right tunnel behind him.
Another Emberant crawled through the wall and then another, followed by one more. Just like that a handful of them successfully entered the tunnel and were now heading towards Paul. By the time the first ant passed the pond, the number of ants had increased to a dozen.
Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap!
Paul heard a light and rhythmic tapping sound, that multiplied in numbers by the second.
(Hm, what is it now?)
He turned around, only to find several Emberants intensely staring at him, as more of them were approaching from the back.
(HOLY CRAP!)
He would've jumped back, had his body not refused to move. Thus he stood there shivering, surrounded by Emberants. The only silver lining in his mind, that his current ant features were incapable of displaying the fear he felt.
(Shit, shit, shit, taking one of them down is one thing, but there's no way I can deal with all them)
While his mind was racing with a million thoughts, the ants stood there in what seemed like confusion to him. They were merely observing him and not attacking him. A moment later they simply walked away and ignored him, while ransacking the rest of the cavern.
(Huh? They're not coming at me?)
Paul had assumed that they would be aggressive, like the last two monsters he encountered. But contrary to his expectations, all they did was stare at him.
(What's going on? I thought everyone was after me, just like the description said. So why are they-?)
He paused, seeing his shovel front legs, as he had unconsciously raised them to defend himself.
(Is it this form? Did they mistake me for one of their own? No, wait, does that mean they won't recognize me, unless I'm in my Phoenix form? So I can hide in plain sight?)
His mood took a sharp turn upon reaching that conclusion. What he thought to be a one way ticket to hell, turned out to become a fortunate discovery.
(Hehehe, if your enemy is to stupid to realize the truth, than just use that against them and profit as much as possible – Tsun zu, probably)
Before more ants appeared, he could only guess at there being a colony, but now he was sure of it. And this colony would have obviously created a network of tunnels, that he could take advantage of. All he had to do was not change back for the moment.
(First I'll follow them into the tunnels and get an idea of how far reaching this network is)
He watched the ants move about. They were running around turning every stone and searching the cavern in its entirety.
(They're behaving like worker ants. Are they looking for food? I'm pretty sure there is nothing here. Then they'll probably leave once they confirm that)
However, just as he assumed that, something unexpected happened.
Skreee!
One of the ants screeched and all of them gathered around the corpse of the one Paul killed. They then simultaneously ripped it apart and carried the parts with them, as they headed back to the tunnels.
(Urgh, well, that's … not what I want to see. Will I even be able to explore?)
Skreee!
The ant that took the role of leader screeched at him and gave him a look, as if to say "Get a move on you lazy bum"
(No choice, huh? Then I'll just play along for now)
He picked up a piece of the ant corpse and walked at the end of the line.
Skreee! Skreee!
(Hail the colony, lead the way brother)