Chapter 98 Digging commences (1/2)
Gathering the large python core, I'm sure it was from the python, judging by the tail section I found it next to, I bring it to the rest of my h.o.a.rd which I transport into the colony, burying them with my Death Rabbit core that I had saved in the first trap network.
This is the most precious harvest of this battle. I have great plans for this resources! I have to work quickly though.
Before I can begin that work I make one final trip back to the field, to gather some Bioma.s.s for myself and to collect my now fairly spherical ape. Are you made of rubber you stupid gorilla!? How do you fit so much d.a.m.n food in your stomach?
Tiny appears happy to simply lie on his back, rolling about gently in contentment, his distended belly proudly displayed to the forest canopy.
Really cla.s.sy Tiny, you really are living your best life.
By this time the industrious workers have done a fairly good job of picking clean the field, but I'm not too worried. I head back to the condensed gobstopper of Bioma.s.s forged by my Gravity Bomb.
Standing over it I have to say it doesn't look that impressive, a small ball that doesn't really look like meat or food of any kind. The ball is a kind of orange colour, streaked through with different layers and the occasional splash of other colours. Looking closely, it reminds me a little of the planet Jupiter from images I'd seen in textbooks.
Tentatively I try again to lift it, no success. Most of the Bioma.s.s of two giant monsters is packed into this little ball! There must be easily over a ton of material in there, it isn't surprising I can't lift it.
I'll have to eat as much as I can here and now then!
Once again I crouch down and start gnawing the h.e.l.l out of the thing.
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
Yield to me you d.a.m.n sphere!
OM NOM NOM NOM NOM.
[You have gained one Bioma.s.s]
…
This is going to take a while.
I feel like a dog gnawing on a bone…
NOM NOM
…
After a solid twenty minutes of chewing I've managed to gain six more Bioma.s.s. The rate at which I was able to extract the food was slowly starting to increase towards the end, apparently chipping away at it was loosening up the Bioma.s.s a little. If I had more time I'd be able to get a whole lot more Bioma.s.s out of it but I can't afford to hand around.
I just have too much to do!
The food does a lot to reenergise me, helping to close over my smaller wounds and refres.h.i.+ng my mind somewhat. I still need a sleep desperately but it will have to wait a bit longer.
Having eaten I quickly hustle back into the nest and make my way down to the Queens chamber, ants are desperately running about, pa.s.sing food around, feeding the larvae and presenting Bioma.s.s to the Queen.
The only problem is she shows no interest in eating.
I can subtly see that the workers are distressed by this. A small pile of Bioma.s.s is growing in the Queens chamber and the workers are wandering back and forth with no real idea on how to proceed if the Queen won't start eating.
When I bustle into the chamber the Queen perks up and pushes through the crowd of workers towards me.
”Are we ready to dig?” she asks, the concern thrumming in her 'voice'.
”Good to go!” I try to rea.s.sure her.
I move over towards the slowly dimming walls of the chamber and start to feel out the dirt with my antennae. I'm relying on my Excavation skill to guide my instincts and detect the best place to start digging.