"Termites."
The council recoils in shock, snapping at the air, their antennae twirling violently through the air.
"That is quite uncomfortable," Coolant observes in a detached way, as if she weren't currently gnashing empty space as if it had a head she wanted to remove.
"WhataretermitesI'veneverheardofthembeforebutallofasuddenIwanttofightthingsrealbad!"
"Vibrant…"
"Sorry-sorry! Sometimes I forget. Anyway, I really want to fight something right now, why is that?"
The council all turn to look at me.
"It's not easy to explain. I had the same reaction," I tell them.
I hesitate.
How much do I want to reveal right now? If I tell the council all about termites, won't they quite reasonably want to know where I came by my knowledge? I've never explicitly explained my origins to my siblings, and I don't see why it would matter, but I feel a little awkward now that I'm on the spot. Bah! To hold information back just because I'm a little uncomfortable would be ridiculous! Ant lives are on the line here!
"Termites are a social insect, much like us. They have a Queen, possibly a king, they produce eggs which hatch into nymphs that eventually mature into workers and soldiers. They are known to eat wood which is likely why the kaarmodo decided to use them against the bruan'chii. They can even hollow out trees or logs and form their nests inside. Since the reptiles are using them as a weapon I'm sure they've done extensive modifications to the core of the Queen in order to influence the offspring and the overall species. In truth, they could be a very powerful enemy and we should be extremely cautious."
The ants gathered around the council table all nod solemnly as they consider what I've said.
"So when do we attack?" Leeroy asks.
"Dammit Leeroy!" I crash an antenna down on the carved surface of the grand circular table. "This is serious business, not your usual 'charge in recklessly' routine!"
"No, no. I think she might be right this time," Sloan says, her foreleg tapping thoughtfully against her mandibles.
I boggle at the normally cool headed general.
"You cannot be serious. From you, Sloan? I feel like I've lost my mind!"
"I have good reasons for my stance, Eldest, if you would hear me out before jumping to conclusions."
"Fine!" I wave a leg in apology. "This whole thing has me stressed out. I'm sorry, go ahead."
"Right then."
The general stands in her seat to address the table, all our eyes focus on her as she fussily cleans her antennae before speaking.
"I believe," she begins, "that I really hate the sound of these 'termites' and want them exterminated as soon as possible."
All around the table there are solemn nods as each of the council members absorbs this declaration.
SLAM.
"You can't be serious!"
"Eldest, I assure you that I am serious. The very mention of these fiends stirs the mana in my core. They must be destroyed."
"Look, I'm just as ready to leap into some hair-brained invasion of a stratum that is far too strong for me at the drop of a hat, but that doesn't seem like a good policy for the Colony as a whole! Am I wrong? It was only a few weeks ago that I was telling you all off for rushing into the third layer too quickly, now you want to rush off into the fourth? We'll be smashed!"
Victor raises both her forelegs in a calming gesture.
"Nobody is suggesting we mount a full-scale invasion of the fourth stratum," she eyeballs Leeroy for a second, "… I think. Slowing our rate of progress and being more deliberate with our expansion has yielded dividends already and will continue to do so into the future. When we do start to expand our holdings in the third we will be in a much better place than we were before to safely hold that which we take. We currently don't have anything like the strength required to conquer ground in the fourth, but we don't have to, right? We just have to fight against these termites. Which means all we need to do is send an expedition to help protect the bruan'chii."
"Hey-hey! I'll go! Send me! I want to go there!"
"And there's a volunteer already, thanks Vibrant."
"No problem!"
I mean, I can see their point. We don't need to fight against sapient races and conquer cities or worry about weird politics, we just need to protect the tree from the termites. Will we be able to destroy the infestation and annihilate their nest immediately? No chance. But we can dig in and fight a defensive war until we have the chops to properly compete in the fourth stratum.
"I'm just worried that we're going to be overmatched when we get there," I fret. "Even the tree and the bruan'chii are struggling, which means these termites are powerful, perhaps more powerful even than the demons we've been dealing with."
"We'll have to send our best to have any hope of success," Advant agrees. "We commit to a defensive strategy and dig in as hard as we can. As long as we blunt the offensive and relieve the pressure from the tree, then she'll be satisfied that we've repaid her for the favour and shown solidarity to our allies."
"I'll have to go personally," Cobalt chips in, "working in a whole new environment is going to be difficult to say the least and if I'm on location I can provide the best support to the build teams."
"I'll represent the healers," Mendant says in her quiet scent. "We can't afford to lose any of you, so you need the best treatment we can provide."
"And who is going to stay here and make sure our operations on the third don't stumble like they did before!" I protest.
They all look at me.
"HELL no. I'm going to the fourth, are you nuts? Imagine leaving me in charge of anything…"
I shudder.
The other ants around the table all shift their antennae in the ant equivalent of an eye-roll, which I think a little unfair. They know me well enough to understand my strengths and weaknesses by now, surely. Yet somehow I'm constantly getting caught out being thought more highly of than I deserve.
"It looks like we've decided to accept the proposal then," I say heavily. "I'll go talk to the Grove Keeper and tell him to get that gate started. We only have two weeks to prepare so I suggest we make the utmost use of that time."
Everyone agrees and begins to stir from their specially designed ant-chairs as they prepare to leave. I remain in my own seat, my mind still spinning at the thought of entering the fourth stratum so soon. I'm nervous, extremely nervous. It's far too quick! And yet the very thought of heading down there stirs the mana in my body and heats up my core. It's so exciting! What challenges will we face?! What opponents will we find?! The urge to keep going deeper into the Dungeon only grows stronger the more I explore!
Almost like I'm being pulled deeper.
"Eldest," a gentle thought prods me from my thoughts and I startle when I realise that Cobalt and I are the only ants left in the council room.
"Hey there, Cobalt. I was lost in my thoughts there for a minute, what's up?"
The little carver looks up at me, towering over her in my chair and reaches out with her specially jointed front leg to pat me on the claw.
"Thank you for sharing your wisdom about the termite enemy with us," she says.
"Oh," I'm surprised, "that's no problem. Whatever I know I'm always going to share with the Colony, obviously."
She watches me calmly.
"We know," she nods.
She pats me again.
"No matter what you were before, you are a member of this family and our precious senior. We believe in you and are so proud that you are prepared to believe in us. That is who you are now. Don't forget that."
With a final tip of her antennae, the carver lets go of my claw and crawls quietly out of the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts, and the shining threads of acceptance and love that flow from the council to me.