Yet the other castes had become under-represented. Healers were getting swamped under the workload; more and more injuries were left to recover on their own, with little but a scant helping of Biomass to speed the process. The core shapers had been used to plug the gaps left by the lack of scouts and soldiers in the upper layers of the Dungeon, but this caused them to draw down their wide-ranging core-gathering expeditions, creating a shortfall in the Colony’s supply. Worst of all, the Brood Tenders found they themselves no longer had the capacity to support the demands of the Colony. Having been so determined to meet the workloads of other castes, they selflessly overlooked themselves.
A careful and meticulous review of all Brood Tender tasks took place over that month, before a restructuring and reinforcement of the caste was established. Never again would they fail the young charges who depended on them for care. There must always be capacity for the brood. This was paramount.
All across the operations of the Colony, these errors and lapses were uncovered and swiftly rectified. Like molten steel, the Colony purified itself over and over again, hammering out the imperfections and doing whatever was necessary to ensure they would never repeat themselves. A feverish energy gripped each and every member as they realised how close to disaster they’d come, and the vast amount of work that was required to secure the future of the family without leaving any gaps for our enemies to exploit.
This was the true wisdom of the Eldest, the true lesson that lay hidden within the rebuke they delivered. An immense amount of work was required to expand the territory and power of the Colony, it was true, but far more was needed to do so faultlessly, without leaving gaps that others could exploit.
In seeking to push ourselves and expand rapidly, moving to take on what we saw as the greater challenge, we had in fact been lazy and shirked the true labour.
Which could not be borne.
Also, at this time, the Colony completed its mapping of the tier four evolutions, a subject of thousands of hours of careful research. The evolution lists had been pored through, each organ and possible mutation investigated to see what best suited the needs of the Colony. For each caste, two main variations became the default evolutions where more specialist evolutions were not required.
The soldiers came in two main types: offense and defence. All soldiers were tough and strong, with thickened carapaces, reinforced mandibles, and extra muscle added to the head to power their jaws. Yet the defensive battles that the Colony had fought demonstrated a need for a hardier breed of soldier. Higher Toughness, regenerative plating, innate healing factor, magic-resistant carapace coating, these ants did all that they could as they continued to evolve to harden themselves against all blows.
The offensive soldiers, whilst not sacrificing their survivability, focused on enhancing the penetrative power of their mandibles, such that even the armour of the Legion wouldn’t be able to stand against them should they fight again. Thickened muscles, sharpened mandibles, extending jaws, friction-reducing mandible coating, acid-hardened edges, and strengthened legs. These ants were like the living sword of the Colony, determined to cut through anything that stood in their way.
The scouts split into two main variants, focusing on speed and long-range bombardment. Although both remained swift, the faster of the two specialised in ranging far from the nest, engaging in rapid-response actions and using their streamlined profiles and hyper-mobile legs to reach truly absurd top speeds. Utilising their chameleon carapace coatings, they are stealthy and capable of remaining undetected via even magical means.
Devoting their attention to a hit-and-run style of combat, the other main variant of scout dedicated themselves to accruing damage over time, employing their highly developed and potent acid alongside their pressurised firing organs to achieve stunning accuracy over long distances. Though larger than their brethren, these ants need never draw close to their enemies, spying and firing on them from great distances.
47. Finger Pistols
Isn’t it incredible how quickly time flies when you’re having fun with your friends? It seems like only yesterday that we set out from Orpule to scour these new hunting grounds for delicious, delicious prey. By the by, I don’t want to give the impression that demons are tasty; they certainly aren’t. Their hides are tough as steel and, like everything else I’ve been forced to eat since I spawned in the Dungeon, they have a truly disgusting flavour.
I’m starting to forget what good-tasting food is even like! Perhaps there never was something such as ‘tasty,’ perhaps that was just a lie I’ve carried over from my previous life. Certainly doesn’t seem likely that I’m going to find a monster that is anything other than disgusting to consume.
No, the taste isn’t good, but the Biomass points sure are! Even if we’re hunting monsters of a lower level of evolution than ourselves, with the stomach mutations that we have, the penalties are as reduced as they can be. Plus, the creatures of this stratum are so rich compared to the shadow beasts of the layer above. It makes sense when you think about it. The spawn rate of monsters on this level is insane, and it’s not even a wave right now. All those demon larvae ripping into each other, it all has to go somewhere, right?
When they get up to tier four and five, these beasties have had a right ol’ feast, and then, stuffed full of Biomass, they retreat to these tunnels to hunt down others who had the exact same thought they did in the hopes of pushing through to tier six and achieving ‘true’ demon-hood. That’s when they run into us. Gwehehehehehe.
It took over a week to power level Brilliant all the way to Level forty, and by the end, she was able to be genuinely useful to the process. Her offensive output is still questionable, but her ability to shape magic continues to develop at breakneck speed. Once she unlocked Light and Shadow Magic, she continued to play around with them as much as she possibly could, to the point it’s frequently annoying. Several times, I’ve had to dispense some THWACK justice when I was suddenly blinded by a lightshow blasting out of her antennae. It was often so bad, the little ant appeared to have a disco ball flashing atop her head, beaming rays of light out in all directions.
If there was a positive to the process, it would be that it encouraged the rest of us to lift our game in terms of practicing our magic Skills. I’ve been grinding obsessively all week, far more than I usually do, with Crinis and Invidia following the trend. Even Tiny has gotten involved! As we’ve hunted and fought, I’ve frequently seen the big ape pointing his fingers and zapping sparks of lightning all over the place. I thought it was adorable at first, the massive bat-faced gorilla wanting to join in the magic practice, but the more he did it, and the more time passed, I actually think he’s gotten better, more accurate, and quicker when releasing his lightning. A totally unexpected event!
Now the time has come for the hatchling to evolve… although, I probably shouldn’t call her that, considering she’s about to hit tier five.
“Alright then, Brilliant, you’ve done it, achieved Level 40.”
The little ant puffs up with pride.
“Was there any doubt I would?” she boasts.
THWACK!
“With all of us helping you get experience from monsters who would rip you up and tear you apart with one hand-claw tied behind their back? No, there wasn’t any doubt. You might have just started to make yourself useful in this hunt, but once you’ve hit tier five, you’ll be a far more valuable contributor.”
“Ouch! I was just expressing a little confidence!”