Antelligent Design

26. Triumph of Training

Finally back!

In reality, it probably didn’t take that long, but leading these hatchlings around and making sure they didn’t get themselves killed has been a royal pain in the global financial market. Although they displayed surprising tactical acumen, organising themselves and operating as only a team of ants could, stamping out the remaining impulse toward sacrifice and martyrdom from their minds has proven difficult.

“It’s the most efficient strategy,” one of them protested at one stage.

THWACK!

“Efficient how? Whilst having a decoy worker draw away the majority of the pack will allow the rest to engage the mature wolf hound in safer conditions, it’s a suicide mission! One hatchling is no match for ten wolf hounds, even if they’re cubs!”

The victim of my rage rubbed at their head with an antenna. “It’s time efficient and makes use of the resources we have available to minimise losses!” they protested. “It’s not the same as pointless self-sacrifice!”

“Time efficient, is it?” I growled. “Let’s see about that.”

I turned to the rest of the hatchlings. “Who volunteers for the suicide mission?”

Nineteen antennae went into the air. Turning back to the hatchling who suggested the plan, I found they’d raised their antenna as well.

“So, how quickly and efficiently are you going to collectively decide who is going to go?”

The mastermind of the scheme looked a little dejected. “I see your point.”

“No,” I corrected them. “You’re still only seeing part of it.”

THWACK!

Using my antennae to bring down a vicious double-barrelled thwack, I smack the worker’s head straight into the ground.

“You are STILL not measuring the weight of your lives correctly! The amassed experience and resources, the investment the colony has made in you, the potential work that you can achieve in the future! You would throw all of that away over one hunt? It’s not worth it, not even for one of you! AND…” I spat, rounding on the rest of them, “with even a little thought, you could have made arrangements for the ant tasked with the diversion to survive!”

They all stared at me blankly. The thought hadn’t even crossed their minds, I bet.

“Dig an escape tunnel for them to run to in advance, prepare a hiding place, use a pit trap, connect the tunnels so they can loop back, there are many options.”

I’ve no doubt the menace in my voice caused quite a few hatchlings to break out in a cold sweat on the inside of their carapace.

“For not even thinking of preserving your own lives, we’ll go ahead with the diversion plan, but I’ll take the role of the sacrificial diversion myself.”

“No!”

“Dammit!”

“That should have been me!”

“Before this day is done, I’d planned to lay down my life gloriously and unselfishly!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” I jeered at them. “No dangerous jobs for you, just the clean up!”

“Boo!” they roundly booed me for taking the ‘glory’ for myself.

Following that discussion, I had the hatchlings re-evaluate their plan and take the time to prepare a way out for me, even though I didn’t really need one. Following that extra preparation, we executed the strategy flawlessly and the hunt was successful.

Despite having already evolved once, the hatchlings were able to rack up experience quickly, with Tiny, Crinis and I defeating anything they couldn’t handle and feeding them the last hits. With their stomach upgrades making it so they suffered no Biomass penalties for their only evolution, the points and mutations were coming on fast as well.

All in all, it took only slightly longer than another full day of delving to get all the ants up to Level ten. When I think about my own struggles in my early life and compare it to the silver spoon these chumps have been handed, I’m just a little bitter.

Suck it up, Anthony! This is for a future of relaxation. If these guys can take care of the colony, then you won’t have to. Remember to play the long game!

When we finally trudge back into the nest, I get the ants to form up around me. I want to give them a little pep talk before the second evolution.

“This is a big step in your lives. At this evolution, you’ll be the first workers to select a caste that will determine the nature of your service to the colony. This is the system I designed to allow each individual to choose the path they themselves believe is best suited to them. The drawback is that multiple specialisations are not really feasible. Because we start so weak as hatchlings, spreading our resources too thin is just inefficient.”

They all nod at that. Being efficient and getting the most out of every worker has been one of the lessons I’ve hammered into them the most.

“Think well on how you wish to contribute. Do you want to fight? Do you want to tend to the brood? Will you be our next queen? Will you help craft and build in ways no ant has ever done before, or will you learn magic and assist the colony through spellcasting?”

The thoughts are visibly turning over through the eyes of every hatchling before me. They’re all burning to contribute to the colony, but unlike any ant who has come before them, they get to make a choice. Not some instinctual reflex either, but an actual, reasoned, considered choice. I’m not worried they’ll pick something they aren’t suited to. These ants are nothing if not brutally honest with themselves.

“Consider your choice carefully, and when you’re ready you can begin your evolution. I don’t have any particular rules for you this time around. You’re smart enough to make your own decisions.”

With that, I let them go.

[Crinis, Tiny. I’ll get you to watch over them while they evolve, please.]

[Yes, Master]

[Hrnnn…]

With that taken care of… I’m gonna sleep!

I’m an absolute wreck. It may not seem like I’ve done anything stressful, and in reality, I haven’t really, but my core is FREAKIN sore! I feel as if all the bones I don’t have inside my body are broken. Every step is painful. How have I managed to hold on this long? Sheer grit and determination. I will raise up these twenty hatchlings, and then my time of rest shall come! Dreaming of not having to stress and worry about the fate of the colony has driven me this far, but I’m spent. If I don’t rest and recuperate, then I’m worried my core is just going to straight up shatter.

Thinking that I still have half a rare core to go, my body shudders in despair. I’m already full! How the hell I’m supposed to fit anymore in, I don’t know. Claws crossed, my body adapts to my larger-than-intended core.

I nestle into a corner of my chamber just as the hatchlings are beginning to do the same. After my nap, I may awaken to see the fruits of all of this labour.