We lay low in the Dungeon for hours. The dirt and stone that surrounded us meant that we heard nothing of our pursuers, even if they passed within ten metres of us. The constant warfare amongst the regular monsters remained constant, as it always way when they weren't brainwashed by some fat ass Croc.
Haaa. I really need to get back to the colony, all of this stress is giving me a potty mouth. Some down time might be nice.
[We need to get back to the village] Morrelia sent over our mental connection, catching me by surprise.
She'd been brooding and punching the walls in fits of anger during our stay here. I could tell she wasn't too pleased by what I'd had to say, who even knew if it was the truth. To me, it didn't really matter why an empire of elderly lizards was unleashing a Dungeon monster on their weaker neighbours, what mattered is that they had, and how we were going to cope with it.
[If we rush back to the colony, won't we just lead them straight there?] I protested.
Leading the horde and Garralosh down onto my family was not my idea of being a filial worker. I could already see the twenty, rolling their antennae with frustration at this new mess that I'd caused them whilst refusing to say anything about to me because I was technically the eldest.
[We aren't dealing with back kingdom hedge wizards now, Anthony] Morrelia growled at me. She was angry, frustrated, and it was making her a bit short. [They'll have scried out the entire south by now, since they know which direction we came from. Maybe they had done that even before we poked the hive with a stick. Point is, they will know about the village and the colony. They aren't going to leave them be.]
Gawd.
[A tiny little village and colony of harmless ants? Why would go to all that I effort?] I muttered.
Morrelia snorted at my use of the word 'harmless', I don't think she's buying just how innocent and loveable we are. Or perhaps she knows what we might be capable of...
[They came here to eradicate the people, I don't think they'll leave before the job is done. Besides] she added, [I don't think they'll want you or I to survive, given what we've seen.]
Makes sense. It doesn't really mean much if you have raised a secret weapon that nobody knows you can control, if someone has seen you controlling it.
Dammit!
[So the only way we actually make it out of this alive, outside of fleeing through the Dungeon, is to rally the colony and village and fight against them?!]
The warriors face twisted at my mention of fleeing through the Dungeon, as if the very thought was repellent to her. Hey! I didn't actually consider doing it! As if I would leave the colony alone to fend for itself in its time of trial. That is my family right there.
[Correct] Morrelia nodded. [I have no idea how, but the only we make out is if we fight. If we try to flee, they'll hunt us down eventually. I don't know a way that we could hide from their scrying magic, we just don't have the Skills.]
And fleeing into the wilderness would put the colony at risk at just the moment we were beginning to explode in our potential. If we'd had an extra month then I wouldn't nearly be this worried, the number of ants the colony would be able to wield by then would smash the horde following Garralosh and drag the stupid Croc down into the mud.
As it was we just didn't have the firepower.
The villagers were in much the same position. The training and Dungeon expeditions had done a lot to take a collection of former famers, labourers and traders and put them on the road to becoming proper warriors, but they weren't there yet. There wasn't enough of them and they weren't far enough along in their skill development to turn the tide against a monster like Garralosh.
[Okay then. First thing first, we need to get the heck out of here and we need to do it fast] I decided.
[You have a plan?] Morrelia asked, her eyes sharpening on me.
[Nope] I admitted, [plans aren't really my strong point. I was thinking we could just bust out the way we came in and hightail it south. It's not subtle but it gets us there as quickly as possible.]
Morrelia stared at me for a moment before she threw back her head and barked out a laugh.
[Too bad the Legion doesn't accept monsters in the ranks] she chuckled, [I have a feeling you'd fit right in.]
I turned my antennae toward the woman, reading the air around here subconsciously. She constantly talked about the Legion, not directly of course, but always mentioning it here and there. I know her father is a massive big shot with them, but what about Morrelia? She's powerful, very much so. Why wasn't she a member? I refuse to believe she was kicked out.
[So...] I began.
[I quit after my brother died in the service] she interrupted me.
...
How does someone even read what an ant is about to say? I don't even have facial muscles on the outside! Still, what she'd said did raise another question.
[How ...] I began.
[My father did not take it well] she answered.
And judging by the steeled expression on the Berserkers case I wasn't going to get more information than that out of her. I think I'd pried enough anyway.
[So we break through the front?] I asked.
[I think its most likely the horde will have returned to Garralosh' side. They can't have their monsters rushing around in the Dungeon forever, no matter that they can replenish their stock during the wave. Let's go with your idea, but if we run into too much opposition we can retreat back to this position and try to find another way out] Morrelia suggested.
Sounded good to me.
[Alright then Tiny and Crinis, are you guys ready to fight your way out?]
At the word 'Fight', Tiny literally seemed to come alive, energy and light filled his eyes and his hands clenched and unclenched at the prospect of battle. For her part, Crinis unfolded a few tentacles and walked her way over to me, settling onto my carapace primly. If a shadowy ball of infinite despair could do anything 'primly'.
[I am ready to fight by your side, Master] she declared.
Well, good then.
[But I feel compelled to inform you] she added after a moment's hesitation, [that I believe I have reached the required level to evolve.]
Ohhhhhhh boy.
[Really?! I sputtered with excitement, [that's great!] I couldn't help but reach back with my antennae to pat and stroke the little ball.
[Well done Crinis!] I praised her effusively, [and you even managed to tell me on your own! This is going to be great!]
...
[Crinis?]
Dang. Too much praise, too quickly. She'd short circuited again.
-x-X-x-
We had to delay our escape for a few minutes until Crinis had come back to herself, but we didn't dare allow her the extra time to evolve right now, we needed her fighting strength to help us in the tunnels. If we managed to break free and make it to the surface then she could probably evolve whilst riding on my back if it came to it, but until then we needed her alert.
Once everyone was prepared we enacted our plan, such as it was. Bust out into the tunnel, kill everything we see, bust back into the escape tunnel, kill everything we see, break out to the surface in the church, kill everything we see.
There was a sort of simple elegance to the plan that quite appealed to me. At any rate, we were successful. Relying on the simplest and most direct methods, we chomped, stabbed, punched and tore limb from limb everything that came our way. We were lucky though, the seemingly bottomless horde of monsters that had been sent after us was nowhere to be seen. In fact, it felt as if the zombie monsters had done us a favour by killing the spawned monsters that had crowded the escape tunnel. We had to contend with far less monsters on the way out than we did on the way in. So that's a plus!
Things were a little less simple when we reached the surface.
I'd like to say that it was me who anticipated the ambush and foiled it with my brilliant tactics, a lie I don't even believe Crinis would have been able to swallow. It was unfortunate, but it Morrelia was the one who made us pause in our escape, not one hundred metres away from the surface entrance beneath the church.
[You know they'll have an ambush in place, right?] she asked as she eyed me askance.
[Of course] I lied.
She nodded to herself as if relieved. Not having a human face helped a lot when deceiving humans, I decided. My antennae had waggled like crazy as I'd spoken the obvious lie, my face, which was literally a part of my skeleton, had remained silky smooth.
My own pets were a little more wise to my deception. Crinis shifted uncomfortably on my back and Tiny looked at me with slack jawed astonishment. Stupid pets! Don't give the whole game away!
[So how do you think we should deal with it?] I prompted Morrelia, hoping to keep her distracted.
She rubbed her chiselled chin with one hand as she looked towards the exit and contemplated. Whoever her parents were, they had some serious jaw genes going on. Morrelia was a solid unit for a woman already but her jawline was so damn sharp it could probably cut steel.
[Do you think you could rustle up another one of those giant bomb things?] she asked.
I clacked my jaws with joy.
...
[You have slain level 22 Garralosh Commander]
[You have gained experience]
[You have reached level 32]
[You have reached level 33]
[You have reached level 34]
HA! None of your fancy tricks this time you idiot crocodile!
After charging up my Gravity Bomb to a ludicrous degree once more, I unleashed it at the entrance from a safe distance away, Morrelia helping to ensure that proper planning was executed for once in the deployment of this particular magic.
I aimed the spell to hit right next to the opening and it would appear the Garralosh Commander had been prowling right next the opening in the hopes of catching us the instant we exited the tunnel!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
THE POWER!
Internally I cackled with glee as we charged forward to expunge the remaining monsters that hadn't been caught in the blast. Taken aback by the devastating strike that had instantly killed the most powerful monster amongst them, they were completely unprepared for the savagery of our follow up assault. I took my time tormenting the weaker monsters and squeezed a couple of levels into Tearing Bite, allowing me to upgrade it to the next rank, Severing Bite (III).
This particular bite skill tree continued to be distasteful, specialising in separating monsters into parts. As an active skill it was even more horrifying, allowing me to slice off monsters limbs from range. Crinis' seemed delighted by the skill however, further evidence of the dark road on which she treaded.
After her evolution, who knows exactly what she will become?... I'm nervous. I'm kind of worried to even perform core surgery and manipulate the outcome, I'd inevitably have to ask her how she wanted it to go and I'm not sure I wanted to hear the outcome.
Speaking of evolution, that Gravity Bomb had helped push me closer than ever before to my next evolution, only six more levels and I'd be there.
Once we finished off the remaining monsters Morrelia kept watch so we would have the opportunity to chow down on the Commander. We didn't want to waste any time in the event that Garralosh herself came to collect the corpse as she did last time so I can't blame Morrelia for wanting to avert her eyes from this rapid feasting. It got messy, real quick.
The rewards were worth it though. The entire corpse hadn't quite been obliterated by the Gravity Bomb and we fell upon what remained with relish. I managed to obtain a hundred Biomass from the remains, as well as the greater prize.
[Compatible rare core detected, would you like to absorb or reconstitute the core?]
[Warning, absorption will take you beyond your current limit.]
Mu .... Muaha.... MUAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!
The core is MINE!
Filled with glee I rip out the core and hold it in my mandibles, triumphant. I have managed to retrieve it after all! Mother will have to accept it!
Not willing to wait around any longer we began to cut to the south as fast as we could. Us monsters had our cores recently topped off and I returned to my constant effort to absorb mana from the air using external mana manipulation in order to continually top off my core and increase my up time.
Even so, Morrelia and I made a point to veer to the east occasionally in order to try and keep tabs on Garralosh and its lizard handler, along with horde of thousands of monsters it was bringing along for the ride. We found them eventually, moving along the road that wound around the forest towards the south. Garralosh lumbered in the middle of the horde, easily visible even from a great distance, the Kaarmodo mage and its attendants not far behind.
Their marching speed isn't too hot, probably trying to maintain the mana in the cores of all the monsters who have them. If they don't find an entrance to the Dungeon on the way, they're going to have trouble, although I wager the lizard would be scrying for that as they travelled. I really needed to know more about scrying magic, and how the heck it worked. Morrelia wasn't sure but she thought it might be an extension of air magic. Still, beholding the sheer size of the horde arrayed against us, and the gargantuan dino of a Croc in the centre of the mass, brought home again just how difficult the upcoming struggle would be.
The colony could not afford to lose, we wouldn't be spared from the jaws of the foe, just as we would not spare the enemy if we were to emerge victorious. Unable to flee, it was backs to the wall time for my family. I would do everything in my power to ensure they came out the victor.
Mind buzzing furiously, we ran south.
-x-X-x-
By the time we came within reach of the colony's scent trails I'd managed to level external mana manipulation twice, and we were completely exhausted. Tiny was stumbling with every step, the poor guy was the heaviest of all of us by quite the margin and the hard running had worn him down. Stamina had levelled again for me at least, but only the once, proving just what kind of ridiculous effort was required to get that skill to level up.
Crinis had declined to evolve on the journey itself, preferring to use the time riding on my back to contemplate her skills, Biomass spend and the direction she wanted to take in her all-important evolution. When I could spare it, I turned my own thoughts to the possible upcoming evolution. I had no idea how the colony would be able to bring down a monster like Garralosh but if I was to do my bit, then I needed to be as strong as possible. Getting six levels in a short amount of time would be difficult without any higher tier monsters to chomp on but it wasn't impossible.
The first scent trail I came upon tingled against my antennae as the pheromones registered on my sense of smell.
"Biomass source in this direction has been exhausted. >:)"
More scent-mojis!
Looks like the colony has been raiding towards the north in search of surface monsters to fuel the colony's growth. They must have been successful if they managed to wipe them out. Hopefully the workforce was ready to begin to hunt in the Dungeon, if they hadn't already. Vibrant had been taking her personal posse of workers down there for a while now, but the full time raids needed to start en masse. We didn't have much time and the colony needs to grow as much as possible.
Morrelia and I discussed briefly how much time it would take for Garralosh to arrive at the village and she gave us a week. Maybe a little more. It was a heap of time, and precious little at the same time.
We slowed a pace a little, this close to the finish line. The scent trails became thicker and more frequent the closer we got until we started to run into small patrols of workers.
"Hello Eldest!" they greeted me, "work hard!"
I'm always working hard dammit!
"How are things with the colony?" I called to them as we passed by.
"Busy!" one of them called back.
Wise guy.
It's a colony of ants! Of course things are busy!
Morrelia must have noticed something about the interaction because she reached out to me over the mind bridge.
[Do you talk to each other?] she enquired.
Ugh. Letting the humans know more about the colony could be a risk but also a sign of trust. It's not as if they could overhear what we say to each other, so I don't really see the risk in it... Perhaps I've just grown to trust Morrelia a little more over our time together, which is possibly what she wanted out of this expedition. At any rate, I decide to answer the question.
[We do] I admitted, [we can talk to each other using our pheromones. It was pretty basic at first but has grown more complex lately. We can talk pretty much as well as humans can.]
Better, if you include the development of the scent-moji.
[What did they say?] she asked curiously.
[I asked how things are with the colony and she told me it's 'busy'.]
Morrelia stared at me for a moment before throwing back her head and laughing.
[It's a colony of ants!] she chortled, [of course they're busy!]
Exactly!
Fifteen minutes later we parted ways, Morrelia to head to the village and myself toward the colony. The workers were thicker now, bustling here and there and it wasn't long before the saw the anthill in the distance.
What in the name of great googly-moogly!?!?!
It's HUGE.
The anthill had tripled in size at least. High as a hill and just as wide, with a strong palisade around the outside formed of wooden posts and... was that a moat?!
Small openings dotted the surface of the massive hill, with ants poking in and out constantly as they went about their various tasks. Burlier looking soldier ants patrolled the hill here and there, antennae twitching this direction and that as they kept their senses sharp for invasion.
What the heck was been going on in my absence? All this dirt must have come from somewhere, which means the excavation below ground should be spectacular. It appears that scout wasn't joking when she said things had been 'busy'.
[Tiny, make yourself comfortable and get some rest. You earned it buddy.]
The weary bat-faced gorilla flopped to the ground the moment I'd finished speaking, exhausted to the bone. I wasn't even five metres away before he started snoring.
Slacker.
I would also love to throw myself down the ground and nap but I have serious business to take care of before I'd get the chance. I felt that there would be precious little time to rest over the next few days, what with the impending doom marching south to kill all of us.
There were several crude bridges made from logs laid next to each at intervals around the colony and I hustled over the closest one with Crinis still riding on my back. The footing would seem treacherous and uneven to a human but to the ants it was like a broad highway, my claws gripped into the wood with ease and I passed over the waters swiftly.
Then up, up and up we went, climbing the side of the hill to reach the main entrance at the top. Scent trails were thick on the ground here, scouting paths, hunting paths, even resource collection paths had been laid out trailing away from the hill.
Ignoring the smaller entrances I pushed my way to the top so that I could enter through the main opening. I wanted to get the broadest sense of the changes and I was less likely to get lost coming through the main entrance.
The problem I had with the anthill is that my tunnel map doesn't work as well above ground, it only maps out Dungeon tunnels. The portion of the nest beneath the surface level was neatly outlined in my mental map but the rest ... nothing.
Fortunately scent trails had been used almost like the coloured lines in a hospital to guide workers the right way.
"Queens chamber."
"Day Brood chambers."
"Farms."
"Lecture Theatre."
"Artisan workshop."
"Healing chambers."
"Mage Training area."
So organised! Looks like someone finally took charge and put some thought into the nest layout and the sorts of spaces we might need! Thank goodness, because it was never going to me. I've been coming to know myself more and more recently and I'm happy to admit that this sort of detailed planning is not exactly my forte.
Clutching onto the wall of the tunnel I made my way down into the depths of the nest, the sheer number of workers rushing around catching me by surprise. It feels as if the colony has doubled in size since I left, which is absurd. I'm sure the numbers aren't that high but there are surely a heck of a lot more than I saw last time if this level of activity is anything to go by.
[Crinis, pass me the core.]
The little blob on my back wordlessly passed the core she had been clutching in one tentacle along for the ride and I grasped it in my teeth.
I couldn't wait to show mother what I'd brought her.
-x-X-x-
THWACK!
HIYA!
SNAP!
The moment I entered the Queen's chamber, a powerful antennae came flying at my head. This time though, I was prepared, I'd thought ahead, inspired by Morrelia's thoughtfulness I had anticipated how my reception would begin.
Thus it was that I stood upside at the entrance, clinging to the roof with one of my mother's antennae clasped between my own. Sword catching is for fools, antennae catching is a whole new level.
"Hold on a second, mother! It isn't like you to be hasty!" I appealed.
The Queen's eyes lay on me like a weight, peaceful, serene, but heavy.
"I see you have brought a gift for me child" she replied evenly.
I tried to shrug my antennae whilst still gripping hers and largely failed. I wouldn't weaken my hold just yet, in case she felt I was being particularly foolish.
"Oh this old thing?" I deflected, "there are so many of them up on the surface that I'm starting to think they don't hold any value at all. Why, I almost feel bad giving you something of such low rarity."
"In that case" mother answered, amusement rippling through her voice, "perhaps it would be best if you kept it for yourself."
Dang it! Operation downplay the core was a failure.
"Is this the kind of welcome you give to your child who was away from home, slaving away as a scout in dangerous territories for the colony?" I try a different tack and divert the conversation.
I may have struck a chord with mother on that one, since she retracts her antennae from my grip before she responds.
"Welcome home child. I am, of course, very pleased to see you, even if I am concerned at what mischief you might have caused whilst you were away."
Oh, she's definitely amused now. I reply whilst climbing down the wall to the chamber floor, hoping to put myself on more solid ground.
"You wound me, mother" I say reproachfully even as I sweat inside.
Truth be told there is some bad news coming our way but it isn't my fault this time! I may have caused Garralosh and company to come down this was earlier than they had planned, but considering the Kaarmodo lizard was actively utilising scrying magic, chances are they already knew the human survivors were congregating here.
The Queen loomed above, still so much larger than myself. Her chamber still rests under the surface level, within the Dungeon, which necessitates her guard to be constantly on-alert, seizing monsters the moment they spawn from the walls, subduing them and more often than not bringing them to the Queen to kill, feeding experience and Biomass to the monarch.
"There might have been a couple of things that came up whilst I was away. Nothing we can't handle..." I hope.
Mother's antennae waggled with frustrated amusement.
"I had assumed as much the moment you walked out of the nest."
Ouch.
"Where is Aphy? I haven't seen her about?" I wondered, trying to shift the focus of conversation away from myself.
The Queen was only too happy to take the bait. Her eyes shone warmly as she discussed her beloved pet.
"I was worried that Aphy would be at risk here in my chamber, she is currently positioned with the brood under the watchful eye of the tenders. Did you know she'd already evolved?" she said proudly.
"Congratulations, Mother. I'm pleased to see your pet has brought you such joy."
And I was. Mother cared deeply for every member of the colony and we all loved her back, but we had stuff to do. It's nice to have someone be your devoted companion. I only had to think of the ever loyal Crinis resting on my back to remind myself of the security a devoted pet brought to the owner.
"Not much longer now and she'll be able to add her own eggs to the brood chambers" I mused.
"Yes" the Queen nodded happily, "it will be so helpful for the family."
Nice. Now that I've reminded her of all the good work I've done, it's time to bring her attention back to my gift.
"So about this core..."
THWACK!
Ouch!
Swift as a lightning bolt from the sky, the Queen's antennae descended on my head. Even with all of my upgrades, that still really smarts!
"There are others in a better position to make use of this gift than I, child, we have discussed this before" Mother spoke adamantly.
I winced, but held my ground.
"I already have one, and I'm not going to need another for a long time. I promise you I will obtain more of these cores for myself before I need it, but right now there is nobody in the colony who can make use of this core as much as you can!"
The Queen wasn't convinced.
"What of the soldiers? What of the generals? If the family is to fight for its survival, they will need to be as strong as possible. I am the only Queen in this colony right now, but there are two others who will soon fulfil this role. I do not fight as the others fight. They need all of the strength they can muster."
Haaa. The Queen was always downplaying her own importance to the colony. I'm not sure if she's just humble or if she just genuinely doesn't understand what it would mean for the colony if she were lost. In truth, I suspect that she simply sees herself as performing her function for the family as well as can be she believes there are other parts of the colony that need to be strengthened more than herself.
On that point we disagree and I'm not going to back down this time.
"For fighting we already have me. I have a rare core already and soon I'll be prepared to evolve. I promise you that whatever battles threaten the family, I will stand forward and fight. There is no other ant in this colony who is close to matching me. What we need isn't more battle potential, we need the strongest Queen possible to act as our beacon of hope, our bastion of strength and to fuel our growth."
My antennae wave passionately in the air as I try to convince the Queen to go along with my idea. Why is it so hard to convince this particular monster to get stronger?!
"Many times you've been the last line of defence for us and I suspect that you will be again. In truth, giving you this core will increase our fighting potential the most, as well as increase the future growth prospects of the colony. You have to accept it. Even if all it does is relieve the nerves of the workers, none of us want to lose you and it will give us comfort to see you as powerful as you can be" I pleaded.
As my words ran out, for the first time I noticed that not only was the Queen watching me in her careful way, but so where her guards, all of them facing me at rapt attention.
"He's right, Mother" one of them spoke up.
"It would be a boon to the colony" another said.
"You must not fall" a third chipped in, standing directly on the Queens head.
Gradually more workers began to speak until the chamber was filled with their voices, each of them urging the Queen to accept the rare core, to strengthen herself so that she would not be lost. I was shocked. It was so rare for the workers to express themselves to the Queen, even after they had gained the ability to speak. Her guards were like shadows, ever alert but never questioning her slightest decision. To see them speak out like this was unprecedented. Clearly they thought as I do. The Queen had to be preserved, no matter the cost to the rest of the colony, our Mother would be protected.
The Queen rose one antenna into the air and all sound cut off in an instant.
"I will accept this core" she said.
Her guards turned back to their task without comment, as if their display of loyalty and affection had been an illusion the room returned to what it had been but moments before.
"That's great" I sighed, relieved to my core.
Not willing to wait, I rushed forward and deposited the large core on the ground before the Queen before stepping back.
"How long until you'll be ready to evolve?" I asked out of curiosity.
It was one thing to accept the core, it was another to reach max level and evolve. Until that point, all the core did was provide a little extra mana, a little juice in the tank. It was in boosting our evolutionary potential that the core really shone.
"I can evolve at any time" the Queen said dismissively as she reached down to the core with her antennae, rolling it this way and that as she inspected it.
Wot?!
"You can evolve now?! That's huge news! Is your core maxed out? What about your mutations? You maxed them yeah? Tell me you've maxed them!" I gushed.
The Queen waved one antenna to brush aside my concerns.
"You know I have not filled my mutations child, the Biomass must go toward the growth of the colony. But yes, I reached my maximum level not too long ago. The children saw to it that I have been supplied sufficient cores to reach my full potential. Something of a waste but they were insistent" she huffed.
Fantastic news! Good work colony!
"In that case, I won't keep you, Mother" I said gleefully, "accept the core and evolve straight away! No need to wait!"
"Thank you child" the Queen said softly.
"You're very welcome, Mother" I responded with a tip of my antennae.
I retreated quietly out of the Queen's chamber and into my own quarters below where I found the twenty already waiting for me.
-x-X-x-
"Welcome back Eldest" Victoriant, the budding queen to be, greeted me.
At the sound of her voice, the others turned their antennae toward me, signalling that their attention was with me as I crawled down the wall and onto the floor in the centre of the chamber. There were a few soldiers present, I noted, to keep the spawning monsters out of our carapace long enough for the council to take place.
"It's good to be home" I told them as I settled in place, observing the first generation of my grand experiment. The twenty hadn't changed much in my absence, perhaps a few mutations here and there, but none of them had taken the next step and reached evolution. I suppose they hadn't wanted to hog resources that were needed to grow the population of the colony.
That was something I could respect. The twenty did not use their seniority to benefit themselves, they thought only of the best for the colony as a whole. It was the kind of unselfishness that I had come to see as normal within the colony. The workers, the Queen, every member, thought only about contributing to the collective and not about empowering themselves.
I suppose, as the only true 'non-ant' in the colony I was the sole exception to that rule. It would be unlikely, or improbable, for any one worker to come into the kind of resources that I had lavished on myself. The sheer wealth of Biomass I had consumed, the cores I had absorbed and the experience I had earned, most workers would have donated much of that to the colony. I suppose in some ways it made me a selfish, member of the colony, but at the same time it had allowed me to contribute my new family in ways that would have been impossible had I not reached as high as I had, as quickly as I had.
Which was something I would have to consider in the future. We didn't have the resources, and likely never would, to raise every ant in the colony the same way I had raised my pets, and invested in myself. Maximised cores and Biomass, special cores absorbed to go beyond capacity and push the evolutionary potential to the limit. It simply wasn't feasible when we were talking about two hundred individual monsters being born per day. My minimum standard would have to be enforced, every worker would generate a core rather evolve in a weakened, dead end state, and each worker would be given the opportunity to reinforce their core before evolving. But I had to consider whether it would be beneficial to pick out individuals for exceptional reinforcement.
It fundamentally didn't seem fair to me, but I couldn't discount the possibility either. After all, I'm just one individual with more resources poured into them than average and I'd been able to change the destiny of the colony completely by changing our species. Who's to say another, similarly resourced ant couldn't do the same via incredible prowess in battle, or magical research, or through crafting?
For now, I didn't intend to make any changes to my hatchling rearing policy, but I would have to continue to think on it if we survived this crises.
"Well" I opened up, "scouting to the north was ... interesting."
I tried to keep my tone light, but the twenty clearly detected something as each member's antennae drooped low at my words.
"Would you like to elaborate on 'interesting', Eldest?" Wills the scout asked, almost visibly bracing for an impact.
"Look, I want to say up front that it wasn't my fault!" I said defensively, "if anything, I did a good job as a scout by identifying a major threat!"
At my declaration of a major threat, the antennae drooped even lower, almost touching the floor, as I confirmed their worst fears.
"How big is the threat?" Sloan the general enquired tiredly, trying to focus on the problem.
"Dinosaur sized?" I hazarded. What sort of size scale are they working with for threat measurement?
I could see some confusion ripple through the gathered ants and I realised they had no concept of what a dinosaur was, or how large it would be.
"Okay. I was able to identify the nature of the destruction occurring to the north, as well as locate the source of the strange monster behaviour and the raids that have been sent our way through the Dungeon."
The twenty all perked up at these words. This was good stuff so far.
"The unfortunate part is that the creature responsible is a gigantic monster crocodile and she's coming our way to stomp us out, along with the human village."
And now they were deflated once more.
"They are also bringing a horde of thousands of monsters and a powerful mage lizard with its own sorcerous attendants."
If the scout Burke sunk any lower he'd melt into the floor.
"What are our chances of avoiding the danger?" Frances the healer ant spoke up. "Is there a chance we can deflect this threat onto the human village or retreat into the Dungeon?"
I shook my antennae. "I don't think so. The lizard is capable of scrying magic and probably knew we were here before I even left to scout. Now that they are coming this way, I think they'll work to hunt us down. Since they can control Dungeon monsters somehow, moving into the Dungeon would be too dangerous. Our best bet is to make a stand with the humans and try to fight them off."
"That's going to be difficult" Brendant the soldier muttered, "we are only just now beginning to ramp up our growth. Active hunting outside of Vibrant and her group only started two days ago. The Queen has been laying at full capacity since then but those workers will only be fully grown and ready for deployment in a week."
"We have slightly less than a week to prepare" I informed them, "they're moving fairly slow and taking the long way around. I can't be exactly sure why but I clapped eyes on them myself before returning."
"Well that's something at least" Burke muttered and turned her eyes toward Wills, who nodded and rushed out of the chamber.
I twitched an antennae, curious at the exchange and Burke filled me in. "Wills has gone to organise our scouting regiment, we'll need trails laid further to the north and eyes on the horde if we can get them."
"Be careful" I warned, "that magic lizard is no joke."
"We'll be careful" she assured me.
Hmm. I suppose having as constant a flow of information as possible will be a great first step.
"We are going to have to fight this" I declared to the council, "and we can't afford to wait until they get to us before we begin to inflict damage. We need to start chipping away at them as they advance. Does anyone have thoughts on how we can do this?"
The generals and soldiers flapped their antennae for a moment as they considered their options before Leeroy spoke up.
"I suggest I lead an advanced unit to - "
"Rejected" I said.
"You didn't let me finish!" the offended soldier replied.
"Alright then, go ahead" I sighed.
"As I was saying. I lead an advance unit to engage the enemy and die in glorious battle, sacrificing ourselves to buy more time for the colony to prepare. My very guts will rise up to entangle the foe!"
THWACK!
I slapped down on the ants head in retribution for the nonsense she'd spewed.
Damned Leeroy... Get some sense in your head!
"Any serious suggestions?"
Tungstant used one leg to rub her mandibles as she thought out loud. "We should limit ourselves to the 'hit and run' tactics that the eldest taught us during training. It should be feasible to attack using tunnels, pitfalls and prebuilt defence networks that we can abandon and flee. Cobalt and I have cooked up a few ideas in that direction already."
"Do we have any ants that can do damage from long range?" I asked. All of the workers were born with acid glands, just as I was, but the range wasn't exactly stellar.
Burke filled me in. "The scouts have a dedicated group with range and damage mutations on their acid glands. We are experimenting with ways that scouts can contribute to pitched battle and using them as an artillery battery in open areas is one of the concepts we are developing. We are soldiers, after all."
It was true, and easy to forget. The scouts were one of three offshoots of the baseline soldier variant and therefore were beefier than all of the other casts. It would be a mistake to think of them as anything other than a battle asset as well as a scouting force.
"Fantastic. What else can we get done?"
-x-X-x-
"With your permission Eldest, I will leave the council and begin to organise a workforce to prepare our initial fortifications" Tungstant said.
I waved an antennae in approval and the small, dextrous ant climbed up the wall and out the roof of the chamber in a moment.
"Alright then. Pitfall traps, tunnels to attack, I like all of these ideas. What else have we got? How is our magic firepower coming along?" I asked.
The two mages in the room, Propellant and Coolant, shifted on their feet as they became the centre of attention for the council. The mage caste hadn't had a lot of time to build up their raw magic handling skills, and were without the benefit of my own extensive spending on brain power when it came to evolutions. Having said that, they were no slouches in the brain game and were able to choose their own elemental gland on evolution. So there had to be some juice there.
"The number of mage ants we have to work with is still limited" Coolant hedged.
There were over a thousand ants in the colony at this time, there were like a hundred new ants being born every day. How few mages could there be?
"How many are we talking about?" I asked.
"Five" Coolant said flatly.
"Five?!" I sputtered.
"Oh, seven including Coolant and I" Propellant offered helpfully.
Holy moly.
"Why do we have so few mages? When fighting against a huge horde, like the one coming to kill us right now, more mage ants would be indispensable!"
I could see it in my mind's eye already. Tunnel entrances falling in to reveal teams of mage ants who blasted the front ranks of the horde with deadly fire, torching dozens of monsters with flamethrower like magic before retreating through the tunnels which collapsed behind them, leaving decimated and crispy ranks of enemies behind them.
A few members of the council shifted uncomfortably. "We've had most of the hatchlings move into the soldier caste recently" Antionette informed me, "Large numbers of scouts and soldiers have been born. Our more specialised castes have had slower recruitment rates for the moment."
Slower I could understand, but five?!
"Coolant and I have been doing our best to map out the skill paths from scratch and explore methods to raise up the future generations of mage ants" Propellant told me ruefully. "We didn't anticipate a need for a number of mages at this stage and wanted to take more time with our preparation."
Makes sense, but still, I would have loved to have more mages right now. To clear away large amounts of weak enemies they would have been indispensable. There may be a use for the mages we have, of course, but there is a lot that can be said for quantity.
As they say: Quantity, is a quality all of its own. That's practically the ants motto.
"Ok then. We have two main objectives, we need to whittle down the horde that's coming our way, I need to help with that so I can reach my second objective, which is to level up so that I can evolve."
"You're close to your next evolution, Eldest?" Victoriant asked, sounding oddly excited.
"I am" I affirmed with a dip of my antennae, "I only need six more levels. If we're going to battle against creatures as strong as those coming our way, we're going to need every little advantage we can get."
"I agree" Sloan the General piped up, "we may have the ability to chip away at the number of weaker monsters but tackling anything stronger is going to be beyond us for a time. If the Eldest can evolve then that task will be in capable hands."
You just wanted to dump all of the hard work onto me, didn't you? She's technically correct, but that doesn't serve to soothe my irritation.
"I think we can agree that we don't need to prioritise food gathering or egg laying to a high extent in the lead up to this crisis?" I asked the gathered council, "If we don't survive the upcoming battle then the colony will cease to exist."
"We shouldn't shut down food gathering entirely, surely?" protested Florence, the to this point silent Brood Tender, "without food the larvae will starve."
"I don't think anyone is suggesting that we cease food gathering operations completely" Sloan assured her, "but rather that we divert a significant portion of the soldiers currently acting to gather food to prepare for the defence."
Somewhat mollified, Florence settled back, though she and her fellow Brood Tender were clearly not happy. I understand it, less food coming in means less brood. What else is a Brood Tender going to do?
"We also need to keep enough senior workers here to ensure that the hatchling training program continues to run unabated. Each new hatchling deserves the best possible start we can give them, don't forget that!"
I eyeballed each of them at the same time, something you can only do with extensively upgraded compound eyes, one of the benefits of being an insect monster.
They each nodded in agreement, more to appease me than anything else. My insistence on equal treatment for the hatchlings still makes little sense to them I suspect, thankfully by virtue of being old they have to listen to me. Hooray for strict respect for the elders!
"You won't be ready to move out for a few hours will you, Senior?" Sloan asked me.
I nodded. "That's right. Crinis needs to evolve and we all need some rest. We've been pretty flat out for the last few days and I suspect it's going to be hectic for a week or so after this."
"Right" Sloan agreed. "I propose we sent out a large scale hunting party immediately. We could stockpile enough Biomass that egg production doesn't noticeably suffer over the next few days. The worker and artisan castes can devote their attention to the brood and constructing the initial defences whilst the soldier caste hunts. Once the Eldest has rested sufficiently they can join the digging teams on the frontlines and begin to harass the enemy."
The rest of the council nodded in agreement. This did seem like a reasonable proposal.
"I'll need a favour though..." I spoke reluctantly, "can someone get a hold of Vibrant and tell her I need some Biomass hunted for my own personal consumption. I want to finish my mutations before I evolve and I need close a hundred Biomass to do it."
Taking resources from the colony at a time like this felt bad, but deep down I know it's necessary. In my mind the hulking figure of Garralosh, her incredible mass and the overwhelming aura she emitted are weighing down on me. Even after evolving there's little chance I'll have any hope of matching up against her but I need to make sure that I do everything possible to increase my strength before she arrives here."
Advant tipped her antennae. "I'll be able to take care of that. Vibrant has been hunting in the Dungeon incredibly actively with her squad. It's thanks to her efforts the egg production rate has increased as quickly as it has. I'm sure she'll be able to provide the Biomass you need in no time."
"That's great" I said, relieved of a burden. I really didn't want to have to go hunting for that Biomass, I simply didn't have the time.
Ok then.
"I think we have the first stage of our plan in place. I'll leave the details to you to work out. Can some soldiers stay down here so we can rest without being attacked? We can't waste time sleeping in shifts."
The soldiers nodded and the council gave me a friendly wave as they quickly dispersed to their undoubted mountain of tasks that needed to be organised. They are better at taking care of that kind of stuff than me. I have my own responsibilities to look to.
[Ready to evolve Crinis?]
[Yes, Master!]
-x-X-x-
With the main bulk of the planning done, it was time to get my group rested and ready to head back out into the fray. Not long after the council broke up, Tiny stumbled into our chamber only to flop onto the floor and returned to sleep, absorbing the mana of the Dungeon to restore his exhausted core.
Speaking of cores, it was time to help Crinis evolve! Only her second evolution since she'd been reforged as my loyal pet and unlike the last evolution, this one would be less of my design. I hadn't had the skill to affect her evolutions to such a deep extent at the time, so there is an opportunity for Crinis to take a more direct hand in her own evolution here, without my own guiding influence.
Naturally this meant that the Dungeon would weave the general shape of her choices and there was a chance that some of them would be hot garbage. Fortunately, if that were to happen then Crinis could ask me to dive into her core and sort out some options for her.
[Are you ready for this Crinis?]
The little ball wiggled indecisively on the floor in front of me, small tentacles extending this way and that until eventually her form solidified.
[I - I think so, Master] she told me.
[You're doing great. Remember, if the evolution options are terrible, let me know and we can work on developing something a little more concrete that suits what you want.]
The little blob-like ball nodded somehow and firmed up further as Crinis gained confidence.
[I know. I feel it'll go well] she declared.
I looked down at my loyal and ever diligent sphere of endless murder and torment. She'd come a long way in being able to try and take responsibility for making her own choices. It wasn't that long that she'd been paralysed by fear just thinking of spending her skill points, and now here she was, preparing to make her own decisions in her own evolution.
I was happy she'd shown such growth over the last few weeks. She'd been working hard to improve herself.
[Wait a second. You aren't trying so hard because you think that's what I want, is it?]
[....]
[Oi! Don't pretend you're already in the evolution menu!]
[Can't hear you master, evolving] Crinis' voice echoed faintly in my mind.
Such a dirty trick!
Well at least she's working on being independent, even if it's for the wrong reasons. Personal growth! The journey we are all on as we slaughter monsters together! As I leave Crinis to sort through her menu my eyes fell onto Tiny.
A little personal growth would be nice for the big guy. He was a battle hungry nut case when I reconstituted his core and he is still that same battle hungry nut case. At least he knows what it is that wants from life, I suppose.
For now though. Time for some rest. After everything that's gone on since my last snooze, I think I've earned it.
As I fall into the comfortable, dark fuzz that is torpor, the ever nearing threat that is Garralosh, her lizard handler and the horde that accompanies them weighs on my awareness. I have to believe that the family I've found in this new world be able to weather the storm. I know that I'll do everything in my power to get us all through it.
HAGGAH!
I'm up!
Ahh! Feels so nice to have had a good rest, back in my own little chamber. It may not have been home for long, but it's more home that anywhere else on this world.
Tiny is still asleep and Crinis appears to be deep in her meditation sleep. I can already see her little spherical body beginning to change in subtle ways. I'll be interested to see what the final result is!
But I have business to take care of first. Sitting in one corner of the chamber is a pile of Biomass and when I approach it I find a pheromone message from the most hyper-active ant of them all.
"Hi-Hi Senior! Long-time no see! :o. Hope things have been well with you. It's been busy here! x) This is the second load of food I brought in since Tiny woke up and ate the first lot. Enjoy! ^_^ "
Figures that Tiny chow down on my food, thank goodness that Vibrant was able to rustle up a second serve. This may not be enough food to give me all of the Biomass that I need, in fact I'm sure it won't. The quality of this food isn't enough for me to be able to get the numbers I need before I fill up my two stomachs.
Without waiting any longer I lay into the food and begin stuffing my face.
Om Nom Nom!
Just before I finish stuffing my face, another twenty points of Biomass accredited to my name, I notice Crinis beginning to shift in the corner. I immediately abandon my meal and leap over to her resting position, bringing my antennae forward to poke and prod at her in concern.
[Crinis! You awake? Everything ok?!]
The changes to her outer physical form are fairly minimal, but more pronounced than last time. She's grown slightly larger, for starters, from a softball size to a... slightly larger softball size. She'd grown ten small permanent tentacles that curved downward from her body to the floor, lifting it up and allowing her to walk around without having to will any limbs into existence by manipulating her shadow flesh.
I gradually felt her awareness come to me as she finished waking up.
[Master?" she queried sleepily, "I've done it. Check and see.]
What a cute little pet she is, so dedicated.
Eagerly I bring me antennae forward and activate my core surgery skill. The information from her core floods into my mind and after parsing it I put together her status and examine it:
Name: Crinis
Level: 1 (core)
Might: 95
Toughness: 80
Cunning: 44
Will: 42
HP: 160/160
MP: 210/210
Skills: Expert Shadow Flesh Manipulation Level 4 (III); Expert Grappling Level 6(III); Expert Shredding Level 8 (III); Enhanced Tremor Sensing Level 8 (II); Brutal Dismembering Level 5 (II); Greater Fear Inspiration Level 4 (II); Mana Transformation Level 2(III); Smooth Tentacle Walking Level 7 (II); Tentacle Fu Level 3 (I); External Mana Manipulation level 3 (I); Shadow Magic Affinity Level 1 (I); Stealth Level 3(III);
Mutations: Dense Durable Shadow flesh +10; Rapid Disintegrating Void Maw +10; Vast Bottomless Dimensional Stomach +10; Empowered Dividing Tentacles +10; Sharpened Ripping barbs + 10; Pointed Macabre Teeth + 10; Wide Fine Mana Sensory Gland +10, Rapid Deep Shadow Magic Gland +10, Extra Swift Shadow Flesh Generator +10; Shadow Eye; Tentacle Conductor;
Species: Shadow Murder Orb
Skill points: 17
Biomass: 75
Oho! There's some good stuff here! In the skills department she's clearly been making great strides, already reached Mana Transformation. She must have been practicing diligently whilst riding on my back to achieve the tier three skill so quickly. And she got shadow magic affinity right off the bat! I'm so jealous! Not to mention she's almost reached the same level of Cunning as me! And the rest of her stats are so high as well! Dammit! I feel so inadequate... This is mainly due to her having far higher base stats before her first evolution. Poor ants, we have it so rough in the stats department.
I can only hope my next evolution will be able to push me over the edge and I can start reaping some high stat gain.
Looking at her stats, it seems as if Crinis has gone for a balanced approach, improving in every stat. Her mental stats being concentrated in one mind means that her brain must be incredibly powerful, far stronger than my own since my stats are distributed across three brains. With her shadow magic affinity, the full potential of her shadow magic gland has been unlocked as she can now use that mana to its full potential and her high mental stats mean she has the grunt to get the job done.
Her might stat is still decent without being overwhelming. She'll continue to be able to battle multiple smaller foes with impunity but will be stronger against the heavier hitters. I think that's why I see an emphasis on stealth. Crinis seems to have been thinking about her own method of contribution to fighting tougher monsters and I think she has reached her answer with her new organs.
The Shadow eye... I'm curious about this one.
-x-X-x-
Curious about Crinis' new Shadow eye I dive deeper into the information hidden within her core, laid bare before my core surgery skill. Ah, interesting. It's dense bloc of information, clearly a powerful organ, far more than the average, if anything I would think that the majority of her evolutionary energy was spent on this.
From what I can gather, the shadow eye is a special type of sensory organ, it doesn't help her to 'see' per se, not like human eyes, it allows her extend her vision or more accurately, her 'awareness' through shadows. I'm not sure exactly how powerful that will prove to be, although I'm sure Crinis will have a use for it, otherwise she wouldn't have picked it. Combined with her shadow magic gland and affinity Skill, there must be some trick she can use that I'm not aware of.
The other new organ she gained is also interesting. This is Crinis' solution to the problem of divided attention. I resolved this issue by adding a number of brains to allow me to think about multiple things at once, but she's taken a slightly different path. Much like how an octopus has neural connections for each tentacle, Crinis' new organ, the tentacle conductor, effectively acts as nerve endings for up to eight tentacles, so they'll be able to move and act independently of her main mind. Eight may not seem like enough considering the kind of numbers she can manifest, but with mutation advances I'm certain she'll be able to push the boundary higher.
Interesting! All in all I think she's done an excellent job!
[Well Crinis, it looks as if your evolution has been very successful!] I praised her, freezing my antennae at the last moment so I didn't pet her. If I overpraise her, she might freeze up and I can't afford the time. As it is, she's already quivering a little bit, like a blob of jelly I'd poked.
Crinis collected herself, lifting her body up on her new permanent tentacles and skittering left and right a little as she got used to them.
[Thank you Master] she replied warmly, [I spent a great deal of time thinking about how I was going to evolve.]
[I took a good look at your Shadow Eye, but I'm not quite sure how it's going to work. I assume it has something to do with your shadow magic affinity?]
The slightly larger blob nodded.
[That's right. I'll show you.]
The squishy orb of death grew still for a moment and I notice that the shadow beneath her body grew noticeably darker over time until it was pitch black. Then, Crinis deliberately extended a tentacle into the shadow.
I boggled at the sight of her tentacle extending into solid stone. What is this? Some sort of shadow gate?
I felt something tickle the bottom of my carapace and I leapt high into the air.
[Wazzat?!] I cried.
Crinis giggled, a to this point nearly unheard of sound and I looked down to see the tip of the tentacle emerging from the ground where my shadow had been, wiggling back and forth.
[Oh that is sweet!] I yelled as Crinis withdrew her tentacle back through the connected shadows and into her body.
[I can't move my main body through] she checked my enthusiasm, [but the Shadow Eye allows me to extend by senses through the shadows after I've connected them.]
Oh snap! So she could spy on people, or extend her tentacles to attack things through a shadow that is in a separate room than she is! The possibilities are almost endless.
[How far can a shadow be before you can't connect it?] I asked, musing to myself.
[My range is around twenty metres right now, if I can detect the target shadow through my mana sense, ten if I can't.]
I nodded, stroking my chin with an antenna. [Train hard Crinis, this new ability will be extremely powerful when levelled up.]
[I will Master] Crinis acknowledged, already sounding pumped for the challenge.
So diligent.
Crinis, with her shiny new evolution toys to play with, waddles onto my back with her short tentacles and settles into position, no doubt already practicing her skills. I'm somewhat jealous of her at the moment, having successfully completed her evolution. with my own dance with body changing looming on the horizon the anticipation and anxiety is continuing to build apace.
It's a strange thing, changing your body in such a dramatic way. It's invigorating, the sense of growth and strength that you feel is incredible. At the same time, there is a tinge of fear, of stepping into the unknown.
Gah! Thinking about that sort of stuff is just going to hurt my head. Time to move onto what I need to be doing in the here and now: Mutations. I still have three upgrades that I need to do, but only enough Biomass for two. So close! I've never been this close to a completely upgraded body before and the sense of accomplishment is building the closer I get.
Just one to go! I'm not sure how I'm going to get the Biomass or time to eat it, but I'll have to manage somehow. Perhaps I'll need to lean on Vibrant again to hunt and deliver some food for me.
Whatever, time to focus on mutations.
[Do you wish to improve Precognitive Infrared Antennae to +15? This will cost 65 Biomass]
Yessiree.
[At this level you may choose to combine your mutations, or emphasise one. Which will you select?]
This is an interesting one. Infrared is quite useful, another way to detect enemies, another sense to help cover up shortages in other areas. Having said that, my senses have been steadily improving, particularly my sight, there isn't really a need to emphasise the infrared. The Future Sight has been very interesting, not to mention saving my life (if not my backside).
My reflexes and reactions are almost not quite fast enough to make full use of the tiny glimpse to the future that my antennae give me. Emphasising this mutation will perhaps give me that extra nano-second that will make all the difference.
Ok. I'm going to Emphasise the precognitive.
[Would you like to upgrade your Mana Eating Restrictive Acid to +15? This will cost 65 Biomass]
Yessss!
[At this level you may choose to combine your mutations, or emphasise one. Which will you select?]
Ahh the acid gland, a key feature of the formica variant of the ant species. My 'ol trusty business district and its jets of burning acid have served me well, particularly in the early days. The restrictive property of the acid was such a key thing for me back then and to be honest I still think it's a valuable property to the acid. I haven't had much chance to use the magic eating mutation lately but I have high hopes that it will be extremely relevant in the days to come.
This seems like a slam dunk, Combine them!
[Do you wish to upgrade your Precognitive Infrared Antennae to Future Sight Infrared Antennae?]
[Do you wish to upgrade your Magic Eating Restrictive Acid to Mana Binding Acid?]
I do!
GACK!
-x-X-x-
It took some time for the itching to pass, as it always did. When I finally regained full control of my body again, I picked myself up from the floor, dusted myself off, cleaned my antennae and attempted to move as if nothing had happened.
The soldiers keeping an eye on the room pointedly didn't look at me as I climbed the wall and moved up into the Queen's chamber. Things continued to operate in here as they always did, a cloud of buzzing workers rushed here and there whilst the ever-patient Queen stood still and unmoving amidst the chaos.
She had not evolved.
"I will evolve in good time, child" the Queen remonstrated before I'd even begun to speak, predicting my question with ease.
"What's the hold up?" I asked piteously, "most ants are happy to have the chance to evolve and dive straight in."
Perhaps I was being a touch selfish, I'd really wanted to see what shape her evolution would take.
The Queen looked down at me, her eyes like pools without a single ripple and said: "this decision is more important than most, and due to your ... gift" she gestured to the rare core in front of her, "I will have many options to ponder. I am seeking the correct frame of mind and trying to determine the right path forward, for myself and for the colony."
Slow and steady wins the race eh? Not an attitude I was super familiar with, but I could recognise the wisdom in it. She was right in the sense that for most ants, their evolution did not weigh on the fate of the colony in quite the same way that the Queen's did. She was the central figure in this family that the rest of the colony turned around, like some sort of caring, soothing hub.
Not to mention she was individually the most powerful individual in the colony, with the possible exception of myself. If she was ready to evolve, with a rare core to boot, just what would she be capable of when she'd finished? What sort of juicy options would she unlock? What kind of potent glands were available to someone with that sort of evolutionary energy at their claw tips?
I sighed.
I'd have to wait to find out. The Queen was taking this situation very seriously, as well she should.
"Did any of the twenty tell you about what is happening top side?" I asked, somewhat apprehensively.
I hadn't wanted to go into too much detail when I first came in, I'd been getting thwacked just on the basis of the rare core I'd brought in, who knows if I'd still have a shiny, unbroken exo-skeleton on my head. I'd figured that one of the twenty would tell her and I'd come in a bit later after the heat had gone out of it.
"That was not a mess of your making, child" she told me, "you have assisted the family by bringing news of this threat back to us."
I could tell by the twinkle in the Queen's eye that she had seen through my scheme to try and avoid recriminations but she was kind enough to make it clear that in this case, she felt I didn't deserve them.
"Thanks Mother" I chuckled.
THWACK!
Oooo, the 'unexpected, tender moment thwack!'
She'd got me that time...
"Try not to keep such critical details to yourself after asking me to do something as important as evolving, child" my Mother admonished me, "I need to know in order to make the best decision for the colony."
I rubbed my sore head and nodded. That was fair, I deserved that. In pushing her to evolve and then keeping the details of the crises that was approaching the colony I'd put my own fear of getting thwacked ahead of the interests of the colony. A selfish thing to do.
I'd have to get rid of that habit if I was to avoid disappointing my family.
I moved to slink out of the Queen's chamber with what remained of my dignity intact and as I left the Queen's voice sounded out behind me.
"Good luck child, we are counting on your success."
At her words, an unforeseen emotion welled up inside me and I doubled my pace, unable to respond to the upwelling of feeling, I fled from it.
I didn't know what to say, how to express it. I wasn't used to being counted on like this. I wasn't used to being trusted like this. To have individuals I care about and trust, care about and trust me back in return.
My family in my past life, if they even deserved the word 'family', never gave me this, they'd never accepted me as I'd been accepted here, had certainly never involved and trusted me.
I didn't like to dwell on my past life, I felt back then, as I feel now, that plenty of people had it worse than I did. But it feels a little crazy to me that I had to reborn as monstrous ant to finally be able to feel this feeling of... belonging.
GAH!
I can't handle these emotions! I need to channel them into something constructive, like slaying my enemies and feasting on their Biomass! New Crinis had tagged along for the ride, her little tentacles clinging onto my back as I moved up the walls.
[Hurry up, Tiny!] I called down to the big ape, shaking him out of his slumber.
He'd been slowly rousing when I'd left the chamber but I'd run out of patience with him now. Eating, sleeping and fighting were all he was bothered about.
[We're going to fight stuff, by the way] I shouted.
[Ooo!] I heard back a startled exclamation and in moments the giant ape was seen scrambling up the tunnels, his thick fingers clinging to holds in the walls as he climbed.
It's time to go pay a visit to the village and then head to the frontlines. We needed to chip away at the horde and we needed to start as soon as possible!
-x-X-x-
Filled with energy and a surging sense of purpose I launched myself out of the colony and into the open air of Pangera, my new world. Crinis, Tiny and I moved with deliberate haste and made our way toward the village. Before we move to the front line and engage ourselves with the activities of the colony there, I wanted to take a moment to check in on the village.
I wonder how the people over there are holding together with the threat of horrific death and doom weighing on their minds. The colony has been fine, the ants are a calm bunch when you get down to it. They really only respond with powerful emotion when defending or serving the colony. The threat of death doesn't weigh particularly on their minds at all.
Scratch that. The threat of death is something of an attraction to most of them. Thinking of Leeroy I can't help but wince inside. That moron is only a particularly zealous example of the flagrant disregard the ants have for their own safety, but he represents an attitude that is still prevalent within the workers, despite my attempts to stamp it out.
There isn't a single one of them who wouldn't happily throw themselves into the jaws of an enemy if they thought it would benefit the colony in some way, the only thing holding them back is my directions to the contrary.
The people of the village don't have that kind of dedication, at least, I be very surprised if they did. It would be rather... disturbing, if they did.
Hopefully they aren't panicking too much. Enid runs a tight ship over there and I'm sure Morrelia, upon her return, would be able to inject a steel into the backs of the people there. I can't imagine her tolerating even the slightest sign of hesitation.
When we arrive in the village I'm somewhat surprised to see that my expectations of panic and fear have failed to manifest. In fact, the villagers appear to be calm, determined and focused. There is a heck of a lot of activity in the village, to be sure, but there is a quiet determination in the air that lends the people with a feeling of control.
Children are running here and there, carrying equipment, building materials, passing messages, whilst the adults are engaged in all sorts of labour. The smithy has been finished and men and women ply their trade inside, their faces lit from beneath by the warm glow of the heated metal they are pounding into shape, making nails, swords and I think I can spy an axe.
In another newly erected building I can see what appear to be bowyer's at work, their hands carving away at staves with long smooth motions, whittling the wood down into the curved wooden bows I've seen in the hands of Morrelia's team. I can only suppose that those are the predominant bow type in use in the area. Then there are the people drilling and practicing, which seems to be about the entire adult population of the village not currently engaged in gathering food or making weapons of war.
In pockets all over the village, almost a small town now, with the number of houses and other buildings that have been erected in the time I've been gone, villagers who I assume are the more learned and Skilled amongst them are leading groups through drills and basic sparring practice using crude training weapons. The villagers, far from shying away from the martial skills they are learning, express only fierce determination and focus in their faces.
Moving from group to group, I can see a new face, a somewhat rough looking man I'd place somewhere in his twenties. Every time he comes to a new team, he pauses to look and correct people form and bark out some advice before moving onto
These people are giving me seriously intense vibes. They have no chill!
With Crinis on my back and Tiny standing at my side, I make a conspicuous sight and it isn't long before villagers spot me. A ripple passes through the crowded town centre as people nudge their neighbours, I can see many a finger raised, pointing in my direction and it isn't long before the entire village has come to a standstill as every man, woman and child has paused to look at me.
Sigh.
May as well get this over with. I'd kind of hoped that the obsession the people here have with me would blow over with time, but thanks to the unending efforts of Beyn and the members of his village, it seems to be getting worse.
As I move toward the village I can see it all happening, the whispering, the pointing, the gazes filled with reverence. The men and women of the village look at me as if they are looking at a sturdy mountain that shelters them from the howling wind, or a great tree that protects from the lashing rain.
Hang on a sec.
Are they so confident facing this crises because they think I'm going to save them?! Surely they aren't that crazy! What kind of human depends on a freakin' ant monster to swoop in and save the day? That can't be healthy! Not to mention, I don't need this pressure in my life! Save yourselves dammit! Go bug Morrelia and get her to save you... she's plenty strong!
Disgruntled and somewhat awkward, I make my way into the centre of the village and wait for Enid to show herself. Usually, as soon as I turn up they send someone running to fetch her, or in a less optimal scenario, they fetch Beyn.
I tolerate the muttering and ardent stares as I wait, my antennae twitching this way and that until I decide to start cleaning them, just to give myself something to do. The moment I lift my front leg, the crowd who had been quietly gathering around me in a loose circle gasped as one and leapt back, freezing my heart in my thorax for a moment.
Don't' freak me out like that people! I'm just trying to keep clean!
Fortunately it wasn't long before I spied Enid, rushing through the crowd which reluctantly parted to allow her through.
[Hi there Enid] I greeted her once I'd established the mind bridge, [how've things been over here in the village?]
Enid scowled at my light tone.
[An unending horde of monsters are about to descend on our heads, led by a vicious Kaarmodo sorcerer, and anchored around a centuries old monster, legendary for its viciousness. I hardly think this is the time for levity, Anthony] Enid said peevishly.
[When you put it like that] I muttered, [it does take the light out of the situation.]
Enid sighed, as if the weight of the world was pressing down on her shoulders.
[Sorry, I feel as if I haven't slept in weeks] she apologised, [to think I'd be having to work this hard in my old age. My bones are aching I tell you, and there's still so much to do.]
[Not a problem] I excused her, [things have been a bit hectic over the last while, there's no doubt about that.]
I cast my eyes about.
[I don't see any sign of Morrelia. Has she taken people into the Dungeon?]
Enid nodded.
[She's been running people to and from the Dungeon ever since she got back. I don't think she intends to stop until the horde arrives. I can understand it, every level counts at this point but I worry that she's pushing herself too hard.]
[Tell her I think she should take a break at some point] I advised.
Enid cast me an amused and curious look.
[You think she'll listen to you?] she asked incredulously.
[She might] I shrugged my antennae, [another hand on the scales might push her hard enough that she gets some rest.]
Enid nodded slowly before diverting the conversation.
[There's been a great deal of activity seen at the colony over the last day. So many ants have left the nest.]
There seemed to be some sort of undertone to what she said, but I couldn't read it for the life of me.
[We've been sending out an advance party. We intend to try and whittle down the numbers of the horde as much as possible before they arrive. I'll be heading out there myself shortly.]
Relief swept over Enid's face only to be swiftly followed by concern.
[Will you be safe out there? Don't underestimate the Kaarmodo, they are ancient and cunning beyond measure.]
That peaked my curiosity.
[You've had dealing with them before?]
She nodded.
[When my merchant enterprise what as it peaks I dealt with one of their mage conclaves as an import-export agent for them in Liria.]
[Any advice for me?] I asked hopefully.
The old woman looked down at me, concern creasing her forehead.
[Don't underestimate them] she warned me. [They are smart as whips and bite twice as deep.]
-x-X-x-
It took a good bit of travel before we were able to reach the first staging area on the path between the nest and the anticipated direction the horde would be travelling. A steady stream of workers ran back and forth in long lines, bringing information back to the nest or returning for designated rest periods.
I found it curious that even with their enhanced senses and intelligence, which removed the necessity for the ants to move directly on top of a trail like regular ants on Earth would, they still chose to do so. The result being that I was treated to the sight of hundreds of ants the size of large dogs hustling about in long trails, one after the other.
The main difference between this and looking at an ant trail back on Earth, other than the size of course, is that I could hear the chatter between the workers as they ran.
"Keep it up! Run hard!"
"We've got this! Push, push, push!"
"So much work to do, no time to slow down now!"
"Lift those claws! Don't forget you have six legs, not two like a human. That means three times the work!"
"Work hard for the colony!"
"FOR THE COLONY!"
Endlessly.
One advantage of not having to breathe in order to talk I suppose, no matter how fast they run or how tired they are, they can talk continuously. It was interesting to hear them pump each other up and encourage one another as they ran, to the point I wasn't sure if I was listening to monstrous ants or a spin class at a gym.
I've no doubt that if Vibrant were here, she'd be enthusiastically shouting and cheering the workers onto glorious deeds and greater efforts. I'm looking forward to catching up with Vibrant when she makes her way to the front lines. From what I understand, she decided to remain behind with her dedicated followers in order to make a push toward meeting the colony's food requirements before she left the nest to join us up here.
I have a suspicion that the food quota is going to get hit a lot faster than anyone anticipated. With Vibrant fired up for the job it's going to get done at light speed, which can only be a good thing. The faster it's done, the sooner those soldiers can get to the front and help with our campaign here to chip away at the horde, and the more food will be built up by those remaining behind to hunt, adding to the stockpile that will have been amassed. If things go like I think they will, the production of eggs may not slow down much at all during this crisis, which will put us in a better spot if we actually manage to pull through.
My pets and I eventually reach the staging area where the leadership of the raiding force has been gathering as more concrete plans are being drawn up, scouts are being sent out and preliminary ambush preparations are being made. It isn't much to look at though. When I arrived, I would have missed it had I not been following a scent trail.
The workers had dug a mini nest into the ground, but in the interest of concealing it as much possible, they'd done a good job of spreading the loose dirt around and carrying it away from the site itself. A large hole in the ground was the only sign of the nest, one meter across, too small for Tiny and a little squeezy for me to be honest.
I left Tiny and Crinis topside for the moment and plunged vertically down into the tunnel. The relative calm of the surface gave to a flurry of activity beneath the ground as workers climbed all over each other as they rushed about their tasks, expanding the size of the nest, excavating side tunnels and secret entrances so that they might enter and leave without being spotted.
The crush was a little claustrophobic for me, I didn't have a proper ant mentality about things like personal space, so having ant and dirt shoved in my face constantly made moving around a little disorienting, even as I tried to follow the scent trails to the "Planning room".
By the time I made it through I was quite rattled and extremely grateful to enter a chamber that contained a little free air and only a couple of ants.
"Welcome eldest," Victor the General greeted me, "It's good to see you made it to the front in time for the first ambush."
That got my attention. "We're ready for an ambush already? Do we even have eyes on the horde?"
Victor shook her head.
"Our fastest scouts have been sent to locate the horde but they are yet to return. We expect them to make contact with the horde tomorrow and then make their way back. Of course, that is conditional on the horde travelling on the stone trail you described to us."
"Road, Victor. It's called a road."
She waved her antennae dismissively.
"A strange human convention, it matters not. We have dispatched workers to scout and prepare the ground ahead, come and look."
Victor pulled me over to a corner of the room where I could dimly see a flat raised area had been prepared, the surface of which had been carved into a semblance of terrain. I could see roads, surprisingly detailed little building to represent what I think are towns. Midum was there, as well as the human village and I believe a rounded hill to represent the main nest of the colony. I believe that would make this hole pushed into the soil over here the forward base we currently occupied.
"This is weirdly well done Victor, did you get some sort of skill for this?" I asked, puzzled.
The General nodded.
"Sloan and I both thought it would be important for us to have a way to visualise positional information and terrain. After clacking our mandibles together for a while we came up with this!" she gestured towards her elaborate map proudly. "We had to buy a few skills to make it work, mental visualisation and earth shaping."
Huh. Interesting. So essentially a carving type skill to be able to shape the dirt into the forms they wanted, which helps to explain the high level of detail in the dirt shapes. Mental visualisation I suppose assists them in forming a picture in their minds of what they know, assisting them in being able to craft these little war maps. Clever stuff.
"Very handy! These kinds of maps are going to be super useful in planning our strategy. Good work Victor."
She wiggled her antennae, pleased her efforts had been valued. I'm guessing that some of the other ants had possibly doubted the value of this avenue of development, but as a former human, I knew it was going to pay off.
I'm glad I made the Generals a direct evolution from the soldier caste. We weren't going to need a whole lot of them, certainly not in the planning area, but Sloan and Victor had proven that having some soldiers with a decent head on their shoulders to lead the way was a wise decision. I did worry at times that the soldiers, having the lowest Cunning stat of any caste, would struggle to perform their duties properly, but with the Generals sprinkled into the mix, helping to keep them on the right track, they'd been performing well.
Which is just as well since they were going to get a serious test soon.
"I've got a few things that we can add to your map, Victor. Then I'd better get myself towards the front lines. I'll be a heap more useful up there helping to dig rather than sitting here twiddling my claws."