Anyone who has played any Monster Hunter game will have probably noticed at some point that the ways these so called "monsters" act are strangely familiar, with their behavior being more animalistic than monstrous. This is without a doubt the thing...
Moonlight shines down on the cool dusty desert, its glow causing the unmoving wildspires that are dotted throughout the region to cast long shadows across the sandy terrain, the peaks branching off from these structures of rock, soil, sandstone, mud, and clay, reaching up to the clear stary night sky. Like miniature mountains, the towers are unbothered by the occasional gust of wind colliding with them, their walls seemingly impenetrable to everything the surroundings throw at them, but nothing is invincible.
Many of the wildspires bare the marks from the attacks of massive creatures, their sides littered with dents, scratches, holes, and even bite marks. These structures endure a lot of damage throughout their lives, many of them collapsing under the beating they receive. However, over time, this damage seems to fix itself, even if the amount of trauma sustained is significant.
This apparent healing of these inanimate objects isn't done by the towers themselves, but rather by those who built them. Across the surface of the wildspires are thousands of tiny, yet mighty Carrier Ants busily attending to their fortresses, as well as millions of invertebrates living within the walls. Throughout the entire structure, these invertebrates are hard at work, keeping this castle functional. On the surface, drones repair and expand the wildspire, mixing the building materials with their saliva and dung to make sure the tower stays solid, while soldiers stand guard at the entrances and throughout the tunnels, ready to spring into action at the first sign of a threat.
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Inside the gargantuan structure, more Carrier Ant drones run around the tunnels carrying out their duties, whether it be storing food, caring for the larvae, cleaning, or any other necessary job. Outside of the mound, a line of drones returns from a successful foraging excursion. Even though they're very small, each invertebrate can carry an object that's significantly larger than itself, allowing them to bring back some food items that would otherwise be impossible to secure. As the returning foragers climb into the fortress with their food, tremors rush through the nest as something suddenly smashes into it, causing the outer walls to crack and crumble while the Carrier Ants too close to the collision are sent flying. The invertebrates quickly spring into action as soldiers and drones alike move to the sight of the collision.
The tremors persist as the wildspire keeps crumbling away, causing more Carrier Ants to join the defense as they all charge to the source. The closer the invertebrates get, the stronger the quakes become, making it harder for them to keep their balance. However, despite this added challenge, the counter-offensive continues advancing. Upon arrival, the colony is ready to fight when suddenly, a large swath of the front line is immediately wiped out by the jaws of an enormous creature, taking a chunk of the nest with them.
Gulping down everything in her mouth, Sludge, a fully grown female Barroth, quickly bends down again and snaps up more of the Carrier Ants. She initially used her highly modified nose to break open the wildspire in a head-on attack. The enormous structure known as a crown now easily rips out more pieces of the nest, exposing more of the interior to the outside world, and allowing her even more access to her prey.
