Chrysalis

After a couple of hours I was able to get the hatchlings to operate in a reasonable way. The first few enemies we defeated with acid and then let the little workers chow down after I'd dragged the Biomass clear of the farm. They ran out of acid quickly though and I was forced to incapacitate the prey before letting the young ants swarm it, training their bite skills and gaining experience.

We repeated this process until the farm was empty, then I had them drink their fill from the water before we moved into the next farm.

I'd only had to stop them from throwing themselves into the fight and embracing their own certain doom a few times! Progress!

Despite having intellectually understood my point that by living they would be able to contribute more to the colony than they could by dying, the urge to throw themselves in harms way to protect their fellow hatchlings was overpowering.

At one point a new monster had burst out of the farm wall whilst the hatchlings were eating. I'd known about it of course, but before I could deal with it, one of the workers had already leaped at the enemy, screaming "I'll slow it down with my congealed blood! Attack from the flanks!"

Luckily I'd been quick enough to Dash in and knock him aside before crushing the offending monster with a savage bite attack.

Naturally I'd then thwacked the offending ant on the head and launched into a lecture about appropriate crises response no necessarily including immediate sacrifice. Maybe they one day would be in a situation that demanded sacrifice, but this sure as heck wasn't it!

After instructing the ants to spend the Biomass they had accumulated and handing out a bit of advice (none of them so much as twitched by the way), we moved onto the next farm to repeat the process.

I need to stuff these hatchlings full of experience and Biomass as fast as possible. There isn't long until the next wave will be born and then we'll have two hundred of the little pests to deal with!

the same plan as before" I inform my class of diminutive workers as we cling to the ceiling of the next farm. "We begin with acid bombardment of the target until ammunition is expended, then we move bites. Remember to focus on the skill you are using! We

"Yes senior!" they shout.

to push through the farms at a fairly rapid clip as they team up to devour any available Biomass in record speed and I defeat the

hit the third farm, the first worker reached level five. By the fifth, most of them had reached level five and were ready to form their cores. By the

great training session troops! Plenty of Biomass absorbed, skills developed and levels gained. It's time now to

"Roger!"

Just to make sure they are looked after I take them down into my own personal chamber at the very base of the nest where Tiny sits on guard, munching on

spend their levels, condensing

the main tunnel, the awkward stillness still reverberating through the nest, to check

After the last of the

sure that we aren't attacked. I'm counting on you to defend us if

Master!] Crinis declared confidently, [I will allow no

wave of monsters will attack us over the surface whilst the workers are out of commission. In which case it would be up to Crinis and myself to hold them off for as long as possible and

and it doesn't take her long to find me as she