Chrysalis

Finally back!

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

"It's the most efficient strategy" one of them protested to me 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 are 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 had suggested the plan I found they had 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."

corrected them, "you are still

THWACK!

double barrelled

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 spit, rounding on the rest of them, "with even a little thought, you could have made arrangements

at me blankly. The thought hadn't even

use a pit trap, connect the tunnels so they can loop back, there

caused quite a few hatchlings to break out in a cold sweat

preserving your own lives, we will go ahead with the diversion plan,

"No!"

"Dammit!"

should have been

I had planned to lay down my life gloriously and

right" I jeered at them, "no dangerous jobs for you, just

roundly boo me for taking the

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

very 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 that they suffered no Biomass penalties for their only evolution, they racked up the points and mutations quickly as

of delving to get all the ants up to level ten. When I think about my own struggles in my early life

take

to give them

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 that they themselves believe is best suited

nod at that. Being efficient and getting the most out of every worker