It’s nice to have the full council around. How long has it been since I saw them all together in one place? Even Antionette and Victoriant are here, now majestic tier six queens, with huge gasters for generating many, high-quality eggs.
It’s actually the two Queens who speak up next.
“Things have been going well up there,” Antionette tells the Council. “We’ve expanded to over twenty antcademies, with satellite nests built around each of them in the second stratum. However, we are beginning to push against claimed territory.”
“Haven’t we taken a lot of ‘claimed territory’?” I ask.
“We have, but that was claimed by independent city states, which are now part of the Colony.”
Good for them.
“We are now brushing against parts of the Dungeon claimed by the major powers, and we don’t want to antagonise them.”
I mean… we could…. No, that’s probably a bad idea. Prosper in peace. This is the way.
“How are the… uh… former independent cities doing? They’ve come into the fold alright?”
“Well…” Victoriant shifts a little uncomfortably. “For the most part, yes, but the cities who were… persuaded… by the crusade…”
Good lord. What did those crazy priests do in there? Are those people suffering from trauma? Do they resent their ant overlords?
the problem with them,
were almost depopulated due
the opposite problem. How the heck did that
are going well up there, I
to ask, given we have the architects of the entire program right here with me. Theresant and Florence are in attendance, each of them resplendent, tier five Brood Tenders, emitting a soothing aura that refreshes all of
opens up, clacking her
us uncovering what we believe to be the best possible combinations. A fully grown hatchling has
this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has
still ask them what they want to learn, right? You don’t just force them to become whatever we
Eldest, but when we ask them what they want to be, the first
Obviously, they’re ants.
first obstacle! You’ve got to push
themselves up
unless they feel like they’re contributing to the family anyway. I wanted them to learn they could contribute to the family as well
Tenders handling things? No problems?
less expansion happening in the first and second stratum; with less new nests
course they are, you guys get to tickle the grubs all day long! I’m so jealous! How
many students are we graduating each week? Or
being hatched weekly. It’s difficult to say, but across all of the
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