The Teutonic commander sighed as he saw the village in flames, this was the third village they blazed to the ground after discovering their allegiance with the Black Dogs. He turns to his second-in-command.
"So, how many have we gathered from the splinter factions?"
"About five hundred sire, the other ones we were forced to mass execute after their discovered support for the Black Dogs."
The commander grimaced, that was only half of the estimated number of men being recruited. His thoughts are interrupted as a random man approaches him, saying,
"I have come here to inform you that my men have sworn loyalty to your kingdom. We will join your cause and fight, but in exchange, we want protection and safe homes for our families."
"Consider it done. Word's gotten out that the Hospitaliers have taken a few more villages outside the city, so you will have your safe haven."
"Thank you, sire."
The commander then goes back to the lists of villages executed or destroyed. There were many other reasons why they were forced to destroy the villages. These villages had disturbing methods of entertainment, even worse than those barbaric tribes of Africa. There was a village full of young male children having sex with all the women. There was another where multiple women grew their own penises and had sex with other women. The last one was the worst, as they saw different nether beasts and animals raping the village populace.
The Teutonic Order wouldn't let that stand and they hated whatever immoral acts occurred. First time with these people and the Order wasn't even taken seriously. So the Order could only gather infamy and fear the only way, and that was burning all who opposed them. Now the next village will know what happens when they cross the Teutonic Order.
"So where to next?"
"Wait, sire! I may have some information that could be useful."
"Well?"
"There is a village not too far from here, keeping halflings prisoner for those with… strange attraction towards children."
"Halflings?"
"A female only race that's exclusively female. They're one of the best smiths in the land and any prestigious army should have them working their armaments."
"Well, it could not hurt to try and improve our resources." The commander commented before shouting. "Get ready men, we march to the next village in an hour!"
Weiss and an Oriental woman sat on a boat, the looming silence making the situation awkward. The boat moved through the slow river serenely. Weiss had his helmet taken off, while the woman had her mask off. Weiss stared at his reflection on the water, contemplating his present situation as is. Weiss then tries to strike up a conversation.
"So where are we going madam?"
"To the local goddess." the woman replied without looking at him. "We need her clearance before we allow you to pass to the Shenkitaiyo lands."
"But you said—"
"I know what I said!" the woman retorted angrily. "I just did not expect to lose so easily!"
"Okay… So what is this goddess like?"
"Why would you care? I'm quite sure you and your people are monotheists!"
"Yes er, well… The thing is, madam." Weiss stuttered while struggling to find the words.
"Stop calling me madam!" The woman chided.
"What should I call you then? Miss Wild Warrior?"
"Sheesh, I have a name! Just call me Satsuki!" The woman huffed.
"So Miss Satsuki, what were you doing in those fields anyway?"
"I am the Guardian of the Wild, I was appointed by the Emperor to watch over the lands, so that the unworthy will not enter. But if a worthy opponent arrives and defeats me, I am entitled to assist the winner in all his endeavors."
"So I take it that I'm the first winner?" Weiss asked.
"Yeah! You should be proud to have defeated all this," Satsuki huffed proudly, before noticing the apathetic face of Weiss. "Are you even listening!?"
"I was, I just didn't really pay attention to whatever you just said."
"Geez, you're no fun!"
Rene looked around in awe, these tunnels were so large, rivaling the size of castle halls, and the network was well-built, leading to many crucial areas. He wasn't expecting it to be built by… giant ants. He looked around as giant orange ants passed him by. Some were large and were carrying large rocks, others were smaller and brought food instead. Some seemed busy and paid him no heed, others tried to feel him with their antennae, since he was a newcomer to their nest.
"He's good, don't worry!" the girl reassured.
The ant gives a nod to the girl, who smiles in return.
"Er thank you madam…" Rene trailed off before asking. "What is your name?"
"Antonolla, but just call me Nola." the girl replied with a smile.
"Rather beautiful name." Rene complimented.
"As is yours Rene Antoinette!" The girl returned.
"How do you know my name?" Rene questioned, as he did not recall telling her his name.
"It's engraved on your armor! I was excited to find another fellow ant person!"
"Ant person?"
"That's what the name means!" The girl said while grabbing his arm. "We are meant live among the ants and lead them!"
"Er yes!" Rene replied while thinking. "Might as well learn more about them before I leave. This nest could pose a threat sooner or later to our city."
"Good! So do you want a quick briefing of our nest?"
"Actually, I have quite a few questions. Will it be rude of me to ask all of them?"
"Not at all! We need you at full potential so you really do need to know everything!"
"So let's start with the nest size, how large is this network?"
"Oh, very large! The mine entrance leads up to the mountain to the east! We keep the tunnels maintained, so there is little danger of collapsing!"
"My god, these ants have expanded much further than I thought. This tunnel network could qualify as a city!"
"Though we do have small tunnels leading to the coastlines to collect coconuts and the like!"
"If the tunnel network is so large, then you must have a large work force!"
"Of course!" Nola said while crouching down to a pet wolf-sized ant. "We have about three thousand of these little guys working to maintain the tunnels!"
"That's not so bad."
"And the rest of the worker population, all five thousand of them, are working to gather food and raise the queen's young. Winter is coming and casualties are usually high."
Rene paled at that, eight thousand wolf-sized ants, it only took a whim from this girl and these ants could devastate the land.
"We also have a three thousand strong army of soldier ants!" Nola said while gesturing to the ants the size of bears, who also had bigger jaws and were a darker color. "They're the ones who protect the workers, but don't let that name fool you, all of the ants are capable of fighting."
That did NOT make Rene feel better. These ants looked like they could snap him in half with their jaws.
"And we also have a population of five hundred super majors."
"What is a super major?" Rene asked, before feeling the earth shake, seeing a giant ant, about the size of an elephant, pass by through another tunnel.
"That's a super major."
"How are there so many?"
"The queens are the mothers of all these ants. They lay a few hundred eggs each day!"
Rene's jaw dropped. A population was being maintained by a mere handful of queens!? Not even Europe could boast of such numbers. The prospect of becoming enemies with this nest was becoming even more frightening."
"But if there are queens, why are you leading the ants?"
"Silly! Queens don't ACTUALLY lead the ants! That's why these ants need us! They need human intellect to lead them in battle! A tactical mind is highly valued among these ants to the point of kidnapping humans to raise them as generals."
"So that means…"
"Yup! General Antonolla at your service!"
"I think I'll go rest for a bit." Rene hurriedly excused while leaving the tunnels.
Rene went back into his private room, and dropped onto his silk bed. He had to get out, fast. He couldn't stand idly while his comrades were fighting to save the kingdom. He was going to make his escape tonight. He looks at his armor on the side and moves to get it, but he sees the door opening, seeing Nola in her silk undergarments.
"M-Madam Nola, what are you—"
"To tell the truth… It's been rather lonely without any human contact and you couldn't imagine how happy I was when I found you…"
Rene could see where this was going as he backed up in fear.
"You see, there is another thing about generals that you must know…" Nola said while stripping her undergarments. "Is that we must ensure the passage of our genes."
Rene was cornered as Nola crawled closer to him, too terrified to even act.
"And together, we will raise the next generation of generals…"
"NOOOOO!"