Chrysalis

The hatchlings are herded into my chamber where Tiny is instructed to keep a keen eye on the situation whilst I go to find Vibrant and see what the situation with the workers is like. I find Vibrant hovering around the two hundred larvae that recently hatched, fetching chunks of food that my class had brought in and just dumping it close to the grubs as she races back and forth, trying to make sure the ravenous little things get fed.

Whoops!

The workers tending to the grubs are so omnipresent that I didn't even think to make sure they were getting fed! Thank goodness Vibrant was on the job. They wouldn't have starved to death in such a short time by any means, but their development would have been delayed if they went too long between meals. The larval stage of an ants development is primarily for them to stack on mass. They have nothing to do but eat, eat and eat some more. The faster they bulk up the faster they are ready to go into their cocoons and take shape as proper workers of the colony.

"Vibrant! How are things with the workers?"

"Hold on a sec, Senior! I need to feed these grubs!" she yells as she rushes past me at a full dash.

"Aren't they all fed?"

"Nope!"

Dangit. No point being lazy, I'll pitch in and help. The bulk of the food was stacked in the Queen's chamber and it doesn't take us long to deliver it to the remaining grubs who immediately wiggle their ungainly bodies to a position in which they can munch at it. They don't exactly have the best mouthparts for this but they are giving it a red hot go!

As we worked, I asked Vibrant again what was going on.

"I've started to see a little movement amongst the workers. The higher evolved ones and the workers I was leading were the first to start moving" she announces cheerfully.

"Where are they?" I ask.

"Oh! Everywhere!"

"…."

After rushing here and there I eventually find a worker showing signs of life. This fellow looks like he might've been on his second evolution, an advanced worker of some kind. Impressive! I do

"Haaa …. Hrrrrr"

The ant is talking! He's developed the Pheromone Language gland whilst

are you doing? You sleep

movement slowly returns to the worker, they continue to try and speak using this

champ. No need to

"Harr…. Havvv. Have."

"Have? Have what?"

I … died… for the

"… No."

"… Dammit."

COME ON!

I have to deal with

more and more workers wake up and I direct them to the Queen for a quick debrief before they go back to their duties. After speaking to both me and the Queen, and a few workers

but they are close. They all have the Pheromone Language gland and all of them have sacrificed size and lost mutations in order to fuel their brain development. They aren't as smart as the hatchlings are, but they are a heck of

born will disappear entirely. The first twenty are

and I have the Queen double down for me to hammer the point home, that each worker is far more valuable to the colony alive than they are dead. I'm not sure if the new wave of sacrifice minded workers have heeded the message or not, but hopefully it sunk in enough that by the time I get the first twenty out there to help

Speaking of the twenty.

for their first evolution. I head back down into my chamber and recall Crinis to meet up with us. When she arrives the

are about to embark on the first step of the long road to ant greatness. This evolution will help lay the groundwork for your future progression. It is my aim that in time, you will grow to become the foundations of this colony as it grows and expands. It isn't feasible for every hatchling to receive the same start in life that you have, the resources

resonating in some way. In fact, the spirit in their gaze