Chapter 66 The Heat Factor (1/2)

Any records from the time of Rending are unreliable at best and complete fantasy at worst. The Magio-scholars from the tower of Rannaleth have spent decades pouring over the old doc.u.ments, attempting to piece together a cohesive picture of the state of the world at that time.

Their findings are frequently controversial and often disputed but I myself tend to believe that the views they have published are reasonable conjectures based on the evidence. The first, generally agreed principle is that the ambient mana level on the surface of Pangera rose greatly, more than doubling immediately before the crises struck.

The rapid advancement and reliance on magical techniques exploded in this time, a brief period that the scholars refer to as a 'golden age'.

They also postulate that at this time the Dungeon was already fully formed underground something that other scholars hotly dispute. The logic appears to be sound however. It is known that gargantuan, mighty monsters emerged from beneath the surface shortly after the cataclysm began and there are no known records of such monsters sp.a.w.ning ever since. If they hadn't been battling and evolving in the Dungeon for many years, perhaps even hundreds of years, then where did they come from?

Excerpt from ”The origins of the great beasts, a historical treatise” by Oliander.

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Dreams of the upcoming ant conquest will have to wait for a while though, there is a ma.s.sive amount of work to be done before then.

With Tiny by my side I pause to consider what my next move should be. I have a few options for my next course of action and I should consider carefully before I simply run off and engage in something without thinking it through.

The war turned out ok for the colony this time but even so, there are the deaths of tens of workers resting on my head and it could have been much worse. Even I didn't know that the forceful mana ball would be able to one shot the t.i.tan-Croc and if it hadn't the entire battlefield may have become a sea of flame, barbequing dozens more workers.

I should carefully consider my options this time to avoid making such errors. I certainly don't want to get belted on the head by the Queen again!

The tunnels leading further downwards that connect to the Queen's chamber concern me. The Berserkers were able to invade through those tunnels and caused major problems, if I hadn't been able to intervene the colony would have suffered far worse than it did. I'm a bit scared to go down there though. If tough monsters like the berserkers are running away from down there, I'm not really prepared to go and scout it out by myself.

I think after I've successfully evolved I'll be a little more confident to explore those deeper areas, hopefully my stats will receive a sizeable boost that might enable me to be a bit more survivable against whatever threats lie below.

I'll just have to hope that the Queen and the rest of the workforce can fend off any threats from down there long enough for me to reach the required level.

The next option is to continue the colony growth plan and start fights, using pheromones to bring the workers into the battle. This strategy revolves around feeding large amounts of experience into the workers to increase the overall strength of the workforce.

I'm concerned though. With the area above being so dense with monsters it will be almost impossible to start an isolated fight in which I can accurately judge the odds in advance. The war was a perfect example of this. If I try to bring the colony to fight something it is almost certain that more and more monsters will show up, drawn by the noise and the promise of food.

This is too risky, I'll have to abandon this option.

So what should I do?

Do you have any answers Tiny?

The little ape looks up at me, absent-mindedly scratching at his leg. Those large eyes of his are completely vacant, appearing almost devoid of thought. There is trust in those eyes, confidence in my ability to lead him to food, but a stunning lack of original thought.

You are trusty companion Tiny, even if you are dumb as a brick.

Let's attack this problem from another viewpoint. What are the roles that workers perform in the colony? Take care of the brood? Not really my style, there are plenty of workers for that. Defend the nest? I'm the best fighter in the colony for sure but I don't want to just stand around and wait for something to happen.

Scout?

The scout has the role of ranging far from the nest and locating food, identifying threats and bringing information back to the colony.

Surely a cool, powerful and incredibly well built ant such as myself is perfect for a role like this? I'll be able to proactively protect the colony and support the workers if I find them in trouble.

Not to mention I'll have a bit of autonomy in terms of hunting. Rather than starting a ma.s.sive fight I can instead pick and choose my hunting targets.

To be honest, I also really want to evolve as quickly as possible. My oversized core might not be as agonising as it was before, but it still hurts! Like a persistent tooth ache the pain is constant and is always grating on my mind.

I want it to go away!

Ok! My mind is made up! Tiny and I will form the advanced scouting team of the colony and venture forth into the open s.p.a.ce brave great danger, explore the unknown and hunt our prey, for the good of the colony!

Before we leave I drop down into the Queen's chamber to check things out and predictably she's sleeping, probably exhausted by her partic.i.p.ation in the battle followed by egg laying.