All you can eat

With the level milestone achieved, I take a quick break to celebrate and high five (with antennae) the team, before we begin the journey back to the nest. With the wave in full swing, we end up having to re sweep most of the tunnels that had already been cleared as the empty space was either taken up by monsters who had spawned elsewhere, or freshly spawned monsters already jumping out of the walls again. It's hard to imagine, but I think I actually was starting to forget just how tiring the wave was. Just getting through these totally normal tunnels is an exhausting slog of fight after fight. The moment we deal with one monster, another one comes screaming out of a side tunnel.

It's almost as if the heightened mana levels send the monsters nuts as well as drives the spawn rate to ridiculous levels. It could just be the fact that there's no opportunity for monsters to carve out their own space and settle into some territory which causes them to be whipped up into a mindless rage. Whatever the case, by the time we make it back to the nest the four of us, as well as my twenty unseen observers, are all thoroughly tired and done with the Dungeon for the time being. All in all it took a little over three days for us to travel and secure the levels I need to evolve. It's pretty obvious when we get back just how busy the Colony has been, the gates alone have seen a massive improvement. As we approach it's clear to see the fortifications positively bristling with ants ready to defend the entrance to the nest. If they managed to repair the acid pool, there shouldn't be too many issues holding off monsters, although if more powerful demons show up things might get hairy.

Before we enter the nest, I turn back to face the empty space above my head.

"Protectant, you need to get out here for a chat."

Silence.

"You could just talk to the air. I would rather not show myself," her scent creeps up to my antennae from nowhere.

"It's weird trying to hold a conversation with someone I can't see. Just get out here!"

With her usual sulky disposition, Protectant reveals herself and drops down from the roof to come into view.

"What can I do for you Eldest? I'd like to remind you that we are supposed to be a secret protection detail. You make our jobs harder when you constantly reveal our existence."

"Hey, I don't feel any real need to make your lives more difficult, but you need to adjust and have a little more flexibility than what the Council demanded of you. All of their nonsense went out the window the minute I worked out you exist."

I stare down at the much smaller elite ant but she makes a point of turning her head to face past me. Still don't want to give up on the mission eh? Sigh. What a pain.

"Alright, I'll get down to business then. I'm going to be spending the next few days finalising my evolution. It's going to take at least two days, maybe as much as a week. I was asleep for a long time during the last one, so who knows this time? Not me, that's for sure."

"And? We will watch over you, as always."

"Nope, not as always. I don't need protection when I'm evolving, I'll be in the middle of the nest for goodness sake! What could possibly happen to me in there? I'll have my pets watching over me just in case anything happens, having more security than that is nonsensical! You and your nineteen sisters are going to use this time to power up."

"What?!" she says, aghast. "You want us to abandon the mission, completely?! You won't keep any of us with you?"

They're dedicated, I'll give them that.

"No! After I evolve, I'm going to be tier six! We've had this conversation before, if you twenty can't keep up with me, then you can hardly protect me from something I can't defeat myself! I need every one of you to max out your cores and mutations and prepare for special evolutions. Every one of you needs to be tier five by the time this wave ends. If you want to make sure you're ready to protect me, then any tier five members can return to guard duty once I've finished evolving, but only up to a maximum of five. The rest of you stick together until every last one of you has achieved a perfect tier five, you hear me? This is an order!"

I really don't like to boss around the other ants, I'm just not comfortable with telling them what to do, but these twenty are only going to get themselves killed if they don't power up, and they won't take time to level up and mutate if I don't force them to. Even if they don't accept my logic, they can't refuse a direct command and Protectant positively wilts under my omni-directional glare.

"It will be done as you command, Eldest," she mutters before she vanishes once again.

With that unpleasant conversation dealt with, I head into the nest to find a small welcoming party waiting on the other side. Granin, Torrina and Corun are present, as well as Florence and Victor. I'm especially surprised to see the brood tender away from the young where she spends essentially all of her time when she isn't in a meeting.

["Hello all!"] I greet everyone with a combination of pheromones and mind magic, ["I didn't expect you to welcome me back at the gates. How are things in the nest?"]

"Everything is fine," Victor assures me quickly, "our plans are already well advanced and our defences here and in the satellite nests have been established."

Florence nods.

"That's right," she happily agrees, "and the hatchlings have been able to enter the Academy and begin their proper training. The school has already begun a large expansion project to accommodate the boosted numbers but we are confident we can complete the task."

Man, the brood tenders are by far the most soothing caste, always cheerful and upbeat. They work just as hard as everyone else, don't get me wrong, but they all seem to share the same calm and happy aura that Florence and Theresant have.

"Well that's great."

I switch back to speaking to everyone.

["So what brings you guys here?"]

Granin steps forward and looks at Victor for a moment. The ant nods and his voice rings out in my mind.

[The ants are getting ready to take you straight to the Biomass store they've setup for you. The council has been taking my advice about selecting a few members to nurture into high tier powerhouses to shore up your strength seriously and you are the first to get the fast road treatment. The Colony is going to provide all the Biomass and cores you need now that you've hit level eighty. I wanted to tag along with my triad so we could advise and discuss your options whilst you eat.]

["Makes sense I suppose. Lead the way."]

The nest was abuzz with activity when I left and it is completely the same now. As we move through the tunnels there are ants everywhere doing goodness knows how many different tasks. In every chamber and at regular intervals down the tunnels there are soldiers and scouts on guard, ready to leap upon every monster that spawns from the mana dense walls. Even the automated messages from the walls are on point.

"The wave is upon us!" I get blasted from a nearby unit and taken by surprise. "Work hard to secure the future of the Colony! Take regular torpor breaks!"

Nice to see that last bit hasn't been dropped. My siblings need to rest. Eventually we arrive in a smallish chamber and I immediately notice two things about it. First is the massive pile of Biomass that has Tiny instantly drooling. Second is the total lack of mana veins on the walls.

"You guys actually figured it out?!" I'm shocked and delighted.

"The mages figured it out and the inner areas of the nest have been converted. This place is close to the brood chambers and was prepared for your evolution. It wasn't much extra effort considering the work that was already being done."

Holy moly. They figured this out in the nick of time.

[All right then, Anthony,] Granin breaks in. [Get to eating, we have a lot to talk about.]

The three golgari grab a seat and make themselves comfortable whilst they watch me, somewhat impatiently as I hesitate. With a vast internal sigh, I move over to the Biomass and start to eat.

[All right,] I say, [what first?]