The raiders dropped from the sky a short distance from the tunnel entrance to the city.
A handful of workers gathering food from the stockpile in that area were quickly overwhelmed by the red armoured warriors and all were quickly killed by the veteran killers.
A single guard stood watch by the entrance while small groups of workers came and went. Most remained within the city, rebuilding after “the event”.
The tunnels and bunkers of the city had kept them safe for generations, only underground could they find shelter from the relentless heat and dry burning sand that made up the world now.
Some of the oldest among them spoke of times many years ago, when their grandfathers had lived, when the land was green and cool, when water was a danger coming so quickly that even the tallest would drown in minutes.
A time of plenty.
Then had come the war. The greenery had been torn apart, the land became dry and cracked sand where once it was cool damp earth. What remained of the water was poison and many lives were lost. Never once was the enemy even seen.
Still the city had survived, prospered even. Its numbers had grown, children born and raised to replace the losses from the destruction.
Then had come the quake, a terrible shaking of the ground. Many tunnels and bunkers and chambers had collapsed around the edge of the city. Many were lost.
By the time the shaking had stopped the people were less than half what they had once been. But at least the farms had survived deep below the surface, they would not starve.
Scouts had been sent out and they found that they were somewhere else, walled in, by something.
Cool to the touch but invisible to the eye. The edges of the city were cut off by these walls as far down as the lowest chambers. On the ground above they could travel no more than an hour in any direction.
A single pile of food was located in a far corner and with this to supplement the surviving farms they would not starve but even the wisest among them did know what had happened, Or why.
The raiders, heavy armour stained the hue of their many victims rushed towards the entrance. The single guard raised the alarm and threw himself at the closest raiders determined to cut down at least one before he was slain.
Workers by the entrance ran inside spreading the alarm as they went and hot on their heels came the raiders, blood red armour quickly stained by yet more victims.
Deep within the city the alarm spread quickly.
The old captain was ready, he called the handful of warriors nearby to join him and he headed towards the central meeting hall where the main highway from the surface came down.
A scout ran up and reported. The raiders were in the upper city, they were spreading out. A group were heading to the farms; others were going to the nursery and school where the children were.
One group was heading toward the palace and the court room.
The captain did not hesitate, the palace was closest and there would be more guards there. With barely a command to follow he took the tunnel to the palace and in no more than a few minutes he reached the court room where nervous councillors and a few guards waited.
Though none did much to show it the sudden arrival of the captain heartened them all and the guards joined the captain and his warriors by the tunnel that lead to the upper city.
Sounds of battle could be heard and the noise of the raiders quickly filled the tunnel as the old captain and a small group of warriors stood ready, they would hold this room or they would die, should they fail then everyone would die.
The glint of red armour came into sight and with a rush the raiders reached the room and the battle began.
“Look children” the elderly man said as he pointed at the dirt filled glass box.
“See how those larger black ants are grouped there in front of the queen ant”
The children dutifully looked at the ant nest that the teacher had dug up and put in the glass box for the class to see that morning.
“Look they are fighting, the red ones are all bigger, I bet the red ones win, that’s horrible, hey that one had his head bitten off, cool.”
The teacher listened to the youngsters, digging up the ant nest had been well worth the effort and catching a cup full of the red ants had been a good idea.
He would throw whatever was left in the flower bed tonight.
After all they were only Ants.
A handful of workers gathering food from the stockpile in that area were quickly overwhelmed by the red armoured warriors and all were quickly killed by the veteran killers.
A single guard stood watch by the entrance while small groups of workers came and went. Most remained within the city, rebuilding after “the event”.
The tunnels and bunkers of the city had kept them safe for generations, only underground could they find shelter from the relentless heat and dry burning sand that made up the world now.
Some of the oldest among them spoke of times many years ago, when their grandfathers had lived, when the land was green and cool, when water was a danger coming so quickly that even the tallest would drown in minutes.
A time of plenty.
Then had come the war. The greenery had been torn apart, the land became dry and cracked sand where once it was cool damp earth. What remained of the water was poison and many lives were lost. Never once was the enemy even seen.
Still the city had survived, prospered even. Its numbers had grown, children born and raised to replace the losses from the destruction.
Then had come the quake, a terrible shaking of the ground. Many tunnels and bunkers and chambers had collapsed around the edge of the city. Many were lost.
By the time the shaking had stopped the people were less than half what they had once been. But at least the farms had survived deep below the surface, they would not starve.
Scouts had been sent out and they found that they were somewhere else, walled in, by something.
Cool to the touch but invisible to the eye. The edges of the city were cut off by these walls as far down as the lowest chambers. On the ground above they could travel no more than an hour in any direction.
A single pile of food was located in a far corner and with this to supplement the surviving farms they would not starve but even the wisest among them did know what had happened, Or why.
The raiders, heavy armour stained the hue of their many victims rushed towards the entrance. The single guard raised the alarm and threw himself at the closest raiders determined to cut down at least one before he was slain.
Workers by the entrance ran inside spreading the alarm as they went and hot on their heels came the raiders, blood red armour quickly stained by yet more victims.
Deep within the city the alarm spread quickly.
The old captain was ready, he called the handful of warriors nearby to join him and he headed towards the central meeting hall where the main highway from the surface came down.
A scout ran up and reported. The raiders were in the upper city, they were spreading out. A group were heading to the farms; others were going to the nursery and school where the children were.
One group was heading toward the palace and the court room.
The captain did not hesitate, the palace was closest and there would be more guards there. With barely a command to follow he took the tunnel to the palace and in no more than a few minutes he reached the court room where nervous councillors and a few guards waited.
Though none did much to show it the sudden arrival of the captain heartened them all and the guards joined the captain and his warriors by the tunnel that lead to the upper city.
Sounds of battle could be heard and the noise of the raiders quickly filled the tunnel as the old captain and a small group of warriors stood ready, they would hold this room or they would die, should they fail then everyone would die.
The glint of red armour came into sight and with a rush the raiders reached the room and the battle began.
“Look children” the elderly man said as he pointed at the dirt filled glass box.
“See how those larger black ants are grouped there in front of the queen ant”
The children dutifully looked at the ant nest that the teacher had dug up and put in the glass box for the class to see that morning.
“Look they are fighting, the red ones are all bigger, I bet the red ones win, that’s horrible, hey that one had his head bitten off, cool.”
The teacher listened to the youngsters, digging up the ant nest had been well worth the effort and catching a cup full of the red ants had been a good idea.
He would throw whatever was left in the flower bed tonight.
After all they were only Ants.