Alex woke up, the two little ones still in his arms. He stretched at length, letting out a yawn:
"Orh… I had so much fun that I ended up falling asleep on the ground."
He stood up, straightened his clothes a little, and calmly resumed his way back to the village. Yet, something intrigued him: the streets were deserted. Not a sound, not a single silhouette. Curiosity got the better of him, and he began pushing the doors of the houses one by one, checking if anyone was inside.
Eventually, he reached the crisis hall. There, he found everyone gathered, sitting in a circle, busy savoring the fruits harvested the day before. The atmosphere was joyful and lighthearted.
Upon seeing him, Doran immediately stood up and came to meet him.
"Ah, there you are, boss! We thought you had gone off to train."
Alex shrugged, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I just had too much fun, I didn't see the time fly by… Anyway, where's my share?"
Doran nodded and disappeared for a moment. He returned with two wooden bowls filled with neatly cut pieces of fruit.
"Here you go, boss. This is your share from last night and this morning."
"Perfect, thank you very much."
Alex took a piece between his fingers and brought it to his mouth. With the very first bite, his taste buds awoke all at once, as if every cell in his body had begun to vibrate. The delicate skin yielded instantly, releasing a fragrant juice that flowed like nectar.
A floral and sweet softness, close to wild honey, filled his mouth without ever becoming sickly. It recalled the tenderness of a white peach, heightened by a hint of apricot and the freshness of a juicy pear. Then, a fine note of acidity, subtle as a light breeze, came to balance it all.
Alex's eyes widened.
"Holy cow! This is amazing! This is the most delicious fruit I've ever tasted in my entire life!"
Without waiting, he devoured the two bowls in one go, then licked his lips greedily.
"Are there any left?"
Doran, a little embarrassed, replied:
"Sorry, boss, but with the ants, we had to share more than expected."
Alex raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"Speaking of the ants… where are they?"
Andris arrived while munching on his fruit. He tapped the ground with the tip of his foot before declaring confidently: "They're just down below."
Alex remained puzzled for a moment, then quickly understood. It was the natural behavior of ants. A slight smile stretched his lips. "They must be creating a new home… at least that solves the space problem." Without saying anything more, he turned on his heel and started to leave.
"Where are you going, boss?" asked Kiran, worried.
"I only came to eat and check on you," Alex replied calmly. "Both things are done. I need to train in mastering the twin axes, because tomorrow, I'll take on the king guarding the mine."
Panic spread through the group. Avudar took a step forward, his voice trembling: "Boss, it's too soon… let's wait a little longer."
Alex slowly approached him, a mysterious smile on his face, and locked his gaze onto the dwarf's. Avudar recoiled, unsettled by that intensity. "It's the perfect moment," Alex declared. "Thirty-four hours will pass."
The dwarves exchanged confused glances, torn between fear and admiration. Asudar, followed by Coralisse, Exalisse and Borox, stepped forward. "Boss, let us come with you!"
The children cried out in unison: "Yes, please, let us come with you!"
Alex watched them for a moment, then a glimmer of tenderness passed through his eyes. "It's been a long time since I've seen you all together, little ones… Alright, why not."
A cry of joy erupted, and everyone jumped with excitement.
Kiran then stepped forward, holding the Lightning Sword in his hands. His eyes shone with a gleam of determination. "Boss… please, can you make the Lightning Sword stronger?"
Alex stared at him, surprised. He had felt the frustration building inside Kiran due to his repeated defeats. "You don't want a new sword? You only want me to reinforce this one?" he asked.
Kiran nodded without hesitation, his eyes burning with a new fire. "Yes. That's what I want."
Alex began to smile. "Very well. After conquering the king's mine, I'll take care of your sword first. That's a promise."
Kiran smiled with joy:
"Alright! I'll come train with you."
Tessa stood up, wiped fruit juice from her mouth and said:
"Me too, I want to come! Already that sword-obsessed guy is surpassing me, I can't let him get even further ahead."
Andris interjected:
"That's exactly why he's surpassing you—because he's obsessed. It makes sense. I want to come too, boss. You never know, a dangerous situation like last time could happen again."
Alex looked at them and asked:
"Very well… Fira, Doran, are you coming too?"
Fira shook her head:
"I'll come, but just to watch."
Doran, busy cleaning, replied:
"I'll stay here, go on without me."
"Alright," said Alex, and he walked away, followed by the young dwarves.
Mechar handed a cloth to Doran:
"Here we go, my boy!"
Doran smiled nervously:
"Thanks."
Alex and the young dwarves made their way to the queen ant, who was overseeing the others. Alex greeted her:
"Hello, Emilia!"
She rushed toward him, all excited:
"Are you alright, boss?"
Alex smiled:
"I need you. I want to make use of your new talent for sculpting. I want you to craft me two wooden mini-axes, identical to this one."
Emilia examined the axes, then turned around and moved toward a tree. With one precise strike of her mandibles, she felled the tree in two.
Andris exclaimed:
"Wow! What strength! She could cut off a head with that!"
Everyone stared at her, surprised, and Andris insisted:
"But… it's true!"
With surgical precision, Emilia trimmed the remaining trunk, then split it vertically in one swift motion. Her agile legs quickly refined the two pieces, sculpting them into perfect mini-axes. Within seconds, she held out the freshly crafted weapons to Alex:
"Here you go, boss."
Alex seized them, his eyes shining with wonder.
"Incredible… The only difference I can see is the color. If they had the same shade, without touching them, it would be impossible to tell them apart."
Emilia blushed slightly.
"Thank you, boss. It was a pleasure to be useful."
A window appeared in front of her:
[Congratulations on your first creation! You gain a new skill: Sculpting Wind. Description: creates a wind capable of slicing and sculpting.]
She blinked, puzzled.
"What's that?"
Alex stepped forward, picked up the axes lying on the ground, and said:
"I'll explain it to you in detail later. For now, let's train!"
He leapt toward the youths, and Kiran jumped at him:
"Let's go!"