While the hatchling enjoyed a little solitary education, we moved back out beyond the defensive lines of the territory to drive back the swarming monsters for possibly the final time. The mana levels continued their slow draw down and with every hour that passed the spawn rate of monsters began to gradually recede. I was hugely relieved that we had managed to get through this wave without having to confront any monsters of too high a tier. My last evolution had really driven home to me the exponential rate of growth in evolutions. Since the energy doubles each time, it's reasonable to expect that a tier seven monster with a perfect core is going to be literally twice as strong as me. Wild monsters in the Dungeon with perfect evolutions all the way down the line are hard as heck to come across, so it's unlikely we would run into one, but I was quite worried that we would.
After an hour or so of throwing back the tide, we retreat back behind the checkpoint to catch our breath and plot our next moves. At this moment, I get a surprise visit, although I suppose it's not really a visit due to her more or less constant presence, from Protectant. Thanks to the addition of the Nave, I have a much clearer idea of the whereabouts of my twenty bodyguards, generally speaking, although whatever high tech stealth organ they have still manages to interfere sometimes. Looking slightly larger than before, she appears above me, clinging to the ceiling at the same moment I detect her scent.
"Eldest, I have come to report."
"Hey there Protectant! How're things going? Been a little while since we last spoke!"
It had been. I knew they'd been busy, since I'd detected them running this way and that rather than just hanging over my head all day, but I hadn't actually interacted with any of them for some time, too focused on my pets and now the hatchling. I guess I had given them a task to complete, so I felt it would be best if I just left them to it.
"You're looking a little larger up there Protectant! Is it safe to assume that you've managed to evolve to the fifth tier?"
She shifts a little from side to side, clearly uncomfortable with being exposed to plain view but, to her credit, she stands firm long enough to answer my questions.
"I have. And I'm happy to report that all twenty of us have completed our evolution, as you requested."
"Really?! All twenty of you have made it to the fifth tier? That's amazing!" I peer at her a little more closely. "You didn't get all that much larger considering the shift from tier four to five. What on Pangera did you spend your energy on? If your stats are too low you're going to suffer in the future, you know?"
I don't really want to pry too deeply, but I am a little concerned. I know that in their evolution from tier three to four, the species they chose granted them their powerful stealth capability, but in choosing that they threw away the chance to gain anything more combat related. Being able to hide from view is only one aspect of their role, after all, the other is that they actually need to be able to fight.
"Not to worry, Eldest," she replies defensively, "we have made the necessary investments to ensure we will be able to complete our function. We decided as a group that it would be for the best if we tried to keep ourselves at a smaller size in order to make it easier to remain discreet. Rest assured that we are up to the task of ensuring your security."
I allow my mana sense to wash over her and I can tell that she has already reinforced her core post evolution, possibly even maxed it out already. Looks like they've been serious about getting themselves ready for the delve to come. That's quite a relief and a massive weight off my mind. I was worried they wouldn't be able to handle it and there was little chance I'd ever be able to convince them to stay behind.
"Great job, all of you up there. Make sure you do the right thing and get your cores maxed out as soon as possible. Mutations also! Get as close as you can to a complete tier five over the last few days of the wave. Once it's finished, we'll be delving to dangerous new places! The third stratum and beyond!"
No other ants reveal themselves, but Protectant gives a short nod before she once again vanishes from my sight. Gah! That's creepy! Honestly speaking, without the Vestibule and Nave I'd have never found these damn bodyguards. At least now I know they're strong enough to handle their job going forward. For the time being anyway. I want all of them to be tier six by the time I'm ready to evolve to tier seven, which is quite a ways into the future. With that taken care of though, it's time to get back to other matters.
[Alright Invidia, let her out.]
The air beneath the fluttering eyeball splits open in that truly disturbing way as his teeth reveal themselves. Opening wide, he uses his tongue to push out the hatchling, dripping with his saliva before snapping his mouth shut whereupon it vanishes from view once more. I look down on the rather damp hatchling who takes a moment to push her shaky legs under herself.
"Hello again, little one. Did you enjoy your time with your other teacher?"
"I did not!" she flares up.
I scratch my head with an antenna, as if confused.
"But I wonder… have you learned the valuable lesson that your second teacher was trying to impart? Otherwise, there is a strong chance that you'll receive further instruction…"
The little ant stares up at me defiantly.
"I won't run away," she grates out.
"Good job!" I pat her on the head, "I knew you'd listen to your educators eventually!"
I didn't expect to be doing as much teaching in this life as I've ended up having to do, but as expected, using the methods that were used on me when I was young has worked out alright. I turned out fine didn't I? And I certainly learned fast!
"Now then, if you aren't going to attempt to sneak away every few seconds, we can finally sit down and begin your education. First thing we need to talk about, the value of a life!"
We settle down in the tunnel, giving the hatchling something to eat as she listens to me explain the foundational principle that I have laid down on the Colony that differentiates them from every other ant in existence: they are to value their own existence and try hard to preserve it. Not such a radical idea in my mind, but to an ant… it takes a little convincing.
"So… if I'm fighting an enemy, I'm supposed to… not die?"
"Right."
"What if I can cripple the enemy severely in exchange for my life."
"Settle for crippling them a little, and staying alive."
"What if I can defeat them outright in exchange for my life?"
"Settle for almost defeating them and staying alive."
"What if there's a critical task that needs to be completed and only by working myself to death will it be done?"
"We stay organised so that doesn't happen. And, honestly, if you tried to do that, you'll likely be stopped by other ants."
"What?" she's genuinely shocked, "why would they stop me?"
"They take their work very seriously," I advise her, "I'm sure you'll be meeting them quite a bit in the future…"
If she's anything like Vibrant, there will be a mutual grudge there before long.
"The fundamental fact that you must keep in mind at all times is this: you can't work when you're dead." I emphasise my words with a poke of an antenna. "You might live for a hundred years or more, working hard for the Colony and achieving great things every day, or you could be dead in two weeks trying to choke a monster to death with your remains," I still remember when Leeroy tried that, "which do you think is better for the Colony?"
She's quicker on the uptake than most hatchlings. After only a brief pause to think, she responds, saying "living." I can tell she doesn't like the idea, but can't deny the logic of it.
"Quite right," I agree with her. "That isn't to say there aren't circumstances where we need to lay down our life for the Colony. Many have died already in the service of our family, but that doesn't mean we seek it out. Indeed, the longer you live in the Dungeon, the stronger you become, which means you are even more valuable to keep alive. Before I'm done teaching you, you'll be a tier four monster, with hundreds of cores and Biomass invested by the Colony in you. To throw away that investment without giving back to the family? Ridiculous notion!"
She nods along, agreeing with what I've said.
"What's a tier four monster?" she asks.
Ah. I might have gotten ahead of myself there. For the next ten minutes I explain the basics of this world. The Dungeon, the surface, the waves, the fundamentals of being a monster. All good stuff. The hatchling listens with rapt attention, soaking up the knowledge that I offer her and eagerly asking for more. By the time we're done, I feel like I'm getting a cramp from standing still for so long.
"Okay then," I sigh as I stretch out my legs, "enough yammering. If you aren't going to run away on us, I suppose it must be time for a tour of the Colony. How about it?"
I don't think I've ever seen an ant so excited.