"No, they're friendly with men, not women. You're just lucky they didn't kill you when they took Daniel away, they don't like anyone else going near their…" Alyssa said before looking down. Triska watched her cautiously as the witch showed a concerned expression.
"Their what?" Triska asked slowly. Alyssa paused for a moment then slowly glanced to her.
"Their potentials."
*****
Daniel felt himself being carried from underneath by a few ant girls, looking around as nothing but darkness was seen. He only heard the squeaking from the girls below him along with their footsteps as he struggled to free himself. They didn't appear to be very muscular at first sight, but their strength was certainly higher than average as they held him firmly in their grips.
"What are you doing? Put me down, can't we talk about this? Hey!" he called out as he looked around to seeing nothing but darkness. He felt himself traveling downward slightly as the girls below carried him quickly through the corridors. Glancing around he heard rustling all throughout the corridor, knowing there were ant girls on the walls traveling alongside him.
"Where are you taking me? What's the big idea here?" he yelled out.
They traveled down the corridor for a long ways, turning around corners and down passageways while Daniel looked around franticly. There was no telling which way he was heading in relation to where his friends were behind him, and no telling how much further down they had gone as he had lost all sense of direction during the ant girls racing through what appeared to be a maze of tunnels. He heard digging and some rocks crashing around every now and then, and more squeaks echoing out as they ran through the darkness.
‘How many are down here? And where exactly are we down here anyway?’
After a few more twists and turns a soft red light started to illuminate the corridors. Daniel saw the outlines of dozens of ant girls all around the tunnel walls as they were traveling with him, all of them looking at him with bright smiles. A few were holding the bags and belongings to the group in a hand each as they used their feet and other hands to travel along the wall quickly, their fingers and feet digging into the dirt and holding strong. The two ant girls carrying Triska's duffel bag however were a ways behind, the two monsters straining to carry something that seemed immensely heavy even to them.
"What… where are we?" Daniel asked looking around ahead of him, turning his head to see that he was being carried backwards down the corridor as the red glow increased. He looked to see the ant girls holding him below, having excited expressions as they squeaked wildly.
"Hey, put me down! Please!" he called out. The ant girls paid him no mind and continued to carry him down the corridor as they passed a few torches lit on the sides of the walls. Daniel looked around and saw other tunnels branching off every now and then. They traveled up a small incline then down another, then around a corner as the group of ants raced him further into the subterranean tunnels. The ants on the walls and ceiling broke off and scattered down other corridors while the ones below him raced along still. Daniel looked around curiously then ahead to see they were heading towards a wooden door. The ant girls raced up to it as one of them opened the door, then they scurried him inside quickly. He looked around to seeing a large den with a few torches lit along the sides before he was rushed over to a bed near the wall. The girls quickly set him down on it, then started examining and feeling all over his body with their hands.
"Hey, knock it off. What are you doing? Quit it. Haha! Hey, that tickles, what’s going on?" he cried out. One of them took his dagger while another examined his head closely. Another spent a large amount of time groping him gently while another was examining his arm curiously. The girls then backed away as he sat up on the bed. It was a simple mattress with a dull brown blanket on it along with a beaten white pillow. He looked at the ant girls carefully as they were just staring at him, and then glanced around before jumping in surprise.
“What… the…” he said softly to himself. Inside the large den were dozens of beds alongside one of the walls, all with other human men sitting on and around them. They looked to be villagers as they only had simple clothing on, ranging from young teenagers to mature adults, with some of them looking at the newcomer with dull expressions. Others were just talking amongst themselves or lying in their beds looking up at the ceiling with tired gazes. Around the area dozens of other ant girls were seen, some hanging from the ceiling while others were standing around next to the walls. There were a few other wooden doors on one side of the large den, the area being shaped like an underground dome with the beds on one side and the doors on the other.
"What… who are you?" Daniel asked looking at the men. They all appeared average in appearances, with some seeming to just look at the boy with tired expressions.
"Looks like they got another one," a man said shaking his head.
"A young one too, such a shame," another said with a sigh.
"Eh, this might be the best he'll ever get in life anyway," another said with a careless shrug while lying back on his bed.
Daniel looked at the men with surprise then over to see the ant girls that brought him in running back out the door quickly. The others monsters near it closed the door then looked back to the boy with bashful expressions. Daniel looked around slowly as all that was heard was the quiet squeaking of the ant girls while the other men looked around with dull expressions. Daniel stood up slowly and looked around puzzled.
"What… what is this? Where are we?" he asked.
"Haha, where are we, such a stupid question. You're underground, kid, you really didn't notice?" one of the men laughed.
"Shut up, Rick, he's new here. Give him a break," another man said with a glare at the other human. He then showed the boy a somewhat sympathetic expression.
"You alright, kid? What's your name?" he asked. Daniel looked at him curiously then around to see all the ant girls in the area staring at the humans with curious smiles. He then turned to the man and walked up to him.
"Yeah, I'm alright, I think. My name's Daniel. Daniel Sorres, sir," he said. The man chuckled a bit and waved it off.
"No need for formalities here, kid, we're all living down here for the rest of our lives together anyway. Name’s Richard," he said. Daniel stared at him with surprise then to the other men.
"What? For the rest of our lives?" he asked loudly.
"He really is clueless isn't he?" Rick said again with a roll of his eyes.
"Dammit, Rick, shut up. He doesn't need that crap right now," Richard snapped back with a stern tone. He then looked to Daniel again and shrugged.
"Sorry about him, he's… well he's an asshole," he said simply. He motioned Daniel to sit next to him on the bed, the boy then slowly walking over and sitting down while looking around at the ant girls that were staring at him with lustful eyes.
"What… what's going on here? Why did they bring me down here? And why are you all here as well?" he asked. Richard sighed and shook his head.
"They're monsters, kid, didn't you ever learn what monsters do to us men in the world?" he asked. Daniel looked at him with worry then down.
"Well… yeah. But…" he said before glancing around slowly.
"They brought us all down here for the same reason, kid, the same reason why they've kept us here for years," Richard said shaking his head. Daniel looked to him with surprise.
"For years?" he asked with disbelief. The man nodded and glanced to him.
"I've been here for so long; I'm not sure how many years it's been since I was last above ground. You see these ant girls find and capture any men they can outside, then they rush us back down here deep inside their nest and keep us here," he explained. Daniel looked around at the men with shock then to the ant girls in the room, all of them squeaking quietly while they watched the humans. Richard glanced to the teen and shrugged a bit.
"Don't worry, as far as being captured by a monster goes you're lucky it was them. They won't hurt you, and they'll always bring y
ou food and water whenever you need it. You're not going to starve or be killed while down here," he said empathetically. Daniel looked at him with worry then down.
"They just keep you all down here to breed more of them with?" he asked nervously.
"No, we're not the lucky ones to do that, if you can even call it lucky to be chosen for that role," Richard said shaking his head. Daniel looked to him curiously as the man glanced around the room at the ant girls.
*****
Walking down the corridor of the dark tunnel Triska was moving along sluggishly, her leg wound slowing her down while she peered into the darkness in front of her. Next to her Alyssa was holding onto Triska with one hand while having her staff in the other. The teen had her dagger in its sheath again and was holding one hand to the side of the corridor, using it as a guide in the darkness while the witch used her staff to feel in front of them cautiously.
"This is crazy, we can't even see in front of our own noses. How are we going to find Daniel in time? Or better yet, how are we even going to get him back? I don't have my sword and you're powerless. Who knows how many of those things are around him right now," Triska said with frustration.
"Well we can't just wait back there and do nothing. We have to hurry and find him before it’s too late," Alyssa said worriedly. Triska cringed in pain slightly then looked ahead with concern, fearful of what might happen to Daniel if they didn't find him in time. Alyssa explained what she knew about the ant girls, the witch having then grabbed the horrified teen's hand and rushed them into the darkness as fast as she could.
*****
Daniel was looking around at the ant girls with wide eyes as Richard nodded.
"You're kidding me," Daniel said shakily.
"Afraid not, it's how they go about finding potential breeding mates. As for the ones that aren't picked, well, they serve a purpose as well," Richard said, shaking his head as he too looked around at the ant girls.
He had explained that the ant girls have a queen, similar to how their insect counterparts did, and that only she was able to give birth to more ant girls. The 'worker' ants couldn't get pregnant; it just wasn't possible for them. They had their own role in the selection process for potential mates however. The ant girls would capture as many men as they could find, and bring them all down into their mating den. Then during certain times of the day the ants would go into a mating frenzy, and swarm the humans forcing them into an orgy. They would continuously make love to the men without tiring to find out which among the captured humans would be the most suitable for use with the queen, which would mean finding the most virile men for the queen to use during her mating. Only those that proved to have the most stamina and would likely provide the most children for the queen were selected for her stock. The rest that didn't meet those requirements were kept down in the den to satisfy the urges of the worker ant girls in the nest, forever.
Daniel looked around worriedly then glanced to the man.
"Sorry to say you're just in time, kid, it's been a while since they did anything last. Based on the look in their eyes it's sure to be building inside of them right now," Richard said while observing the ant girls nearby. Daniel looked to see the ant girls having soft blushes on their faces while they eyed him with lustful stares. Some were licking their lips slowly while others were fidgeting slightly.
"This is crazy, why don't you fight back against them? Why are you all just sitting here letting them do this to you?" Daniel asked looking around at the men.
"Because we can't, kid," Richard said looking down with closed eyes.
"Why not? We can't just sit here and let them do this to us," Daniel said shaking his head. The man chuckled and shook his head.
"You don't understand, kid, we're not going to be doing anything of the sort," he said, then looked to an ant girl and pointed to her.
"You see her?" he asked. Daniel looked to her as the ant girl stared at him with lustful eyes, being more than evident what she was thinking about doing.
"She's a monster, just like all of the others around here," Richard said simply. Daniel nodded as he watched the ant girl fidget, the monster staring at him with a hungry look in her eye while her abdomen waved a bit behind her. Richard leaned back on his bed and watched the monster with a dull expression.
"However it's not she that's going to be raping you. It's the other way around actually," he pointed out. Daniel looked to him puzzled at that remark.
"What? What are you talking about?" he asked.
"They don't want to hurt us, kid, or have anything happen to us. If they tried to use force on us we might injure ourselves trying to fight them off. They may not look it, but they’re incredibly strong," another man said walking over to them. Daniel looked at him puzzled then to the ant girls around the room.
"When it's time for them to relieve their urges, they'll release a pheromone from their abdomens. It'll fill the den here like a thick perfume," Richard said looking around the area with a careful eye. Daniel glanced around the den then to the ant girl again.
"When it does it'll drive us all into a mating frenzy. It won't matter that they're keeping us down here for the rest of our lives, or that they're monsters spawned from darkness. Won't make a difference if you have a wife or a girlfriend or somebody else you were saving yourself for. As soon as you inhale that scent the only thing you're going to be thinking about is fucking that monster's brains out," the other man said shaking his head while looking around. Daniel jumped in surprise then turned to him with wide eyes.
"What?" he cried out.
"It's true. You'll go into a mating frenzy, and rape her. You'll rush into the group of them and try to do them all, and you won't stop until you pass out from exhaustion," Richard explained with defeat. Daniel looked around at all the ant girls and shook his head.
"No, that's not possible. How… but…" he said nervously.
"It’s how they find the ones that could serve their queen. If you don't do well enough they'll just keep you down here for the next group of workers to have their way with. And the process will repeat itself. You'll be forced to mate with them again and again each day, only being allowed to stop to eat and sleep when need be," Richard said with regret.
"Again, it's the best some lowly kid's ever gonna get in life anyway," Rick said with a laugh.
"Would you shut up, Rick, damn all you ever do is run your mouth," Richard snapped back at the man.
"He probably likes being down here with these things. The sick bastard loves the twisted use of his body," the second captive said crossing his arms. Rick laughed a bit and shrugged.
"Hey, we're stuck here for the rest of our lives, might as well enjoy it. Why not right?" he jested.
"Some of us prefer not to be used by monsters as their breeding stock. Some of us actually want to be free in life, that's why," Richard said with a glare. Daniel looked around at the ant girls surrounding the room, all of them watching the men closely with lustful eyes. Some of them were breathing heavier while others were shifting around a bit.
‘Oh no… this isn't happening, not like this.’
*****
Triska and Alyssa were slowly making their way down the pitch dark corridor, the teen using her hand to feel along the rocky walls while the witch used her staff to try to detect what was in front of them.
"I can't believe this, you spend all that time trying to keep me from Daniel with your damned magic, and then when we actually need it you can't do anything at all. This is bullshit," Triska grunted with annoyance.
"Hey, don't get mad at me, I didn't cause any of this to happen. And look who’s talking, you're a horrible choice for his mate yet you still kept trying to interfere with us," Alyssa barked back.
"Interfere with you? You tried to rape him before; you don't deserve him at all!" Triska yelled out.
"I said I was sorry didn't I? Besides, I've been more of a help to him than you have on this trip. I've given him a ride on his journey, and even offered myself to be hi
s bodyguard on his quest. All you've done is nearly break his back having him carry your stuff and yell at any monster that goes near him. He's never going to complete his quest if you keep starting fights with every monster he meets!" Alyssa shouted out.
"Gee, I wonder why. All the monsters he's met so far have tried to RAPE HIM!" Triska yelled out loudly.
"I said I was SORRY! I'm not doing anything bad now am I? I'm not taking him away back to my home now am I? I'm trying to be the proof he wants, I'm trying to get him to honestly choose me as his mate!" Alyssa shouted out. Triska stopped suddenly and looked towards the witch's voice.
"What? To choose you?" she yelled out.
"That's right. I'm not putting a hex on him or forcing him, I'm trying to get him to honestly pick me, to want to be with me. I'm the proper one to be his mate, and I want him to see that," Alyssa stated firmly.
"Like hell you're going to be his mate! The only one here that deserves to be his mate is me!" Triska shouted out. She growled loudly and shook with anger.
"Dammit, you're not going to have him, Alyssa! There's no way I'm letting anybody take him away from me!" she shouted out.
"Well it's too late for that, you already let those ant girls take him away! Some help you were, you're not worthy of being his mate at all, you're more useless than I am like this!" Alyssa barked back. Triska yanked her hand away from the witch and unsheathed her dagger.
"You… if we never met you none of this would be happening! Everything was going perfectly until you came along! You're like a curse! This is all your fault!" she yelled before she swung her dagger out towards the witch. Suddenly it connected to something right next to her, the girl then dropping down as whatever she hit fell as well with a thump. Alyssa blinked and looked around in the darkness as she heard silence.
"What… what did you just do?" she asked. Triska sat up while holding onto her dagger and looked towards it curiously.
"Um… did… I just hit you?" she asked carefully.
"No, you never touched me," Alyssa said shaking her head.
chronicles of eden - act I Page 20