Chapter 62 - Finally 1/?

"Sure Michael, I'll help anyway I can. I promised your dad that I would rescue him a long time ago so how could I give up now that I know his kids want to help aswell. But first can you take us to the see the rest of your siblings. I want to get a count of how many of you there are."

Michael nodded before taking one last look at Antasia. She only turned her head and turned to walk back towards the camp.

"Hey.... Where you think your going? Our deals off, you have no place in our camp." I said as I watched her walk away. She stopped in her tracks before turning around.

"You fools, You made a deal with me and yet because of this foul things words your going to betray me and even throw me away like a nuisance?"

"No, its not because of what MICHAEL said, it's because of what you said to Michael. You may be a queen but your a horrible creature. If it provided benefit of any kind to me and my group I would kill you right where you stand and be done with you." I said as I stared directly at her, I didn't stand down, That was when her Royal guards stepped forward menacingly.

"Keep your pets under control before I lose my patience Antasia. This doesn't have to end badly you just need to go and I'll forget your very existence."

They stayed in an aggressive stance before Antasia touched them and shook her head. 

"Fine, Just know that I won't forget this. Watch your backs because these tunnels you travel in is my territory. Digger is just using it." She said as she turned and walked down an tunnel that was faintly illuminated. Her guards walked backwards watching us for anything hostile before finally turning around and following their queen.

Kitsoma walked up to me and looked at me with a concerned face. "Do you think this was a good idea?" 

"Yea she didn't have long term benefits anyways. We still have queens egg so when it hatches her job in our group would have become obsolete. I didn't trust her anyways, plus I would rather figure out what's going on with Michael and his siblings."

"Thank you, I know she hates my very existence, but I just had to try and get her help. Father is going through more and more pain as the days go by. His normal days are becoming further and further apart and his feral phases are becoming more vicious. I'll lead you to the others but we have to hurry, Father is currently feral but the arena has been weakening more and more everyday. It won't be long before it stops containing him." Michael talked as he turned and lead us down a hidden tunnel that he revealed by moving a seemingly hidden lever.

"We made this as an easy access to the trading post. Sometimes the ants would go crazy and kill the goblins, sometimes the opposite happened, but either way me and my siblings were tasked with cleaning up remains and killing the rest. We think it has something to do with Father going insane, it would seem that his feral aura had leaked outside and was taking effect on the weaker creatures."

"Makes sense, lets hurry up and get there then." I said before we all started to sprint down the hidden tunnel.

It took a few minutes of running but we eventually came to a dead end that Michael quickly pushed a hidden button that moved the stone wall to reveal a huge room filled with dragon ants that all at once turned to look at us. As soon as they saw Michael they smiled but it looked weird as their faces weren't set up to smile like a normal creature would. Their faces lifted up on the sides but it only pulled apart their mouths horizontally to reveal their razor sharp looking teeth that was set up like a saw that was stood up. It was very creepy to say the least. 

But when they saw the rest of us enter the room the smiles vanished and a then a wave of hostility passed over us.

"Brothers, Sisters, Don't be afraid. I found these people when I was looking for mother. They say they are friends of Father and have promised to help us rescue him." Michael quickly said hoping to diffuse the tension.

One of the others walked up and it looked like Michael but with Dark stripes down its side. It looked like it inherited Vexsus' color scheme but the only exception like I said was the stripes..... and well the creepy mouths.

"Brother.... How do you know we can trust them? They may be lying and are actually in league with that horrible mole man and intends to take us away again." 

"Calm down Grayson. I have a good feeling about them. Concentrate on how our bodies are reacting to them. At first glance the blood of our father immediately reacted to them. I feel like what they say is true." 

Michael turned to us and smiled. "These are my brothers and sisters. We all have vowed to rescue father and escape from this hell hole."

I was completely astounded and barely listened to what he was saying. I was to busy looking at the what seemed like over a hundred different looking dragon ants.

"Holy hell, Sondar didn't Antasia say that only a few had survived. How can this be just a few." Howy said while looking around in the same disbelief as me and the others.

"Oh I should have warned you about that. We are the ones that survived and our bodies were born without fatal flaws like the other hatchlings. But we are more easily consumed by our fathers gluttony. That's why we go hunting for the goblins and ants daily. We also provide food for father when we can but like I said he is becoming more violent lately and will try to attack and kill pretty much anything he sees." Michael said before a glossy look came over his eyes and a teariness covered his eyes.

I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder. "Hey, we promised to help your dad and we intend to see this through. But with all of us together I am sure that we can figure out a way to bring him back and escape." 

"Now Where is the arena and where does Digger stay. We need to focus on getting Vexsus first before we fight Digger." Sylvania stepped up and tried to get us back on track.

One of the other dragon ants walked up to us before bowing and speaking in a feminine voice.

"My name is Adalinda, I am usually the one to volunteer to feed father. I can lead you to the arena but I have to warn you before we go..... If you say your fathers friends than that means you knew him a year ago..... I gotta say that he has changed over the year since then. We have only been alive for a little over 11 months but Father has physically changed as Digger kept pitting him up against his horrid experiments." 

"I figured as much, Thank you Adalinda.... Please lead the way." 

Michael had the others stay while only he and Adalinda would lead the way for the group. We turned down several tunnels before coming to a large door that had massive cracks spiderwebbing all over it.

"Father would slam himself against this door for hours on end before he finally gave up one day. The door itself is a self regenerating material but whatever father did seemed to stop it from healing itself. I think even now he is fighting back against his feral mind and trying to break free from whatever made him this way." Adalinda said as she placed the side of her head against the door and listening.

"Ok, I think Father is currently eating whatever Digger had placed against him. We have only a few minutes to get in while he eats. If we mess up the timing we will be in massive danger. Get ready."

"One"

"Two"

"Three GO!" She said as she ripped open the door only to come to an instant stop as behind the door stood a huge scaled reptile with dark purple scales and arcing electricity racing between them. It was so big that it completely blocked the view behind it as it looked down at us with eyes filled with anger. 

"Adalinda.... I told you to stop coming here and risking yourself. What if I was still feral and was finished eating. I don't want you risking yourself anymore....." 

"FATHER!!!!!" Adalinda yelled before jumping up at the gigantic reptile and hugged it the best way it could. 

"Father, Your feral phase is over... Thank the gods. We have found some people who agreed to help us rescue you and escape." Michael said before stepping out of the way as the huge creature had to duck down to come through the doors. 

It was still looking down and had not seen us before it spoke.

"Oh, have you.... I wonder who they are? Could they be adventurers that had entered the dungeon?"

"How about your family that promised to rescue you a year ago after you sacrificed yourself and became Diggers slave." I said with a wide smile on my face.

Vexsus stopped as he heard my voice. then he slowly looked from the ground up at me.

In a low voice he said. "Holy shit... Sondar? What are you doing here. You have to leave now. Quickly run away."

He said with concern mixed with a sense of urgency. He fully came through the doorway before pushing us away from the arena but not long after did another voice come from behind us.

"Well, Well, Well, Look who it is, Hey guys long time no see thanks for stopping by. I was just running out of ideas, Hahahahahaah....." 

Vexsus and the other dragon ants hung their heads and shook them while the rest of us turned around and looked at the source of the familiar voice.

"Digger......"