Chapter 635 Mind Games (1/2)

The following day proves that the Legion is being more careful with their approach. I received two experience notifications from the first gravity bomb, giving me another level, but the next a.s.sault isn't as bountiful. More mages, tighter s.h.i.+eld walls with more layers. It means they can't spread themselves out as thinly as they did before, and their overall forward progress is slower, as they have to sit and wait whilst the magical barrage is underway.

The extra time means a lot to the Colony. Every day, thousands more ants graduate from the academy to reinforce our numbers, our Skills improve and we draw closer to cracking the many technological challenges that we face.

The only issue is that we're running out of territory. The Legion has pushed at us hard, and even if they slow down now, eventually they'll be knocking at the gates of the nest. The more I see of them, the more convinced I become that there isn't much a tier three ant is going to be able to do to these Legionaries. Even in tremendous numbers, I worry that the Legion would be able to cut them down just as fast as they appear. With enough ants, we'd drag them down with us eventually, but I'm not happy about engaging in a strategy that will result in so many deaths. This is my family we're talking about! The lives lost already is too much!

”Eldest, are you ready?”

”Huh, what?” I snap out of my thinking to find Ellie looking at me.

”Are you coming to the meeting? Sloan wanted to talk to us before she leaves.”

Oh, right.

I follow along in her wake, my pets and baby-sitters trailing behind. A minute later we come to a hastily dug out chamber to find the council members present on this front in the room, along with Wills, who appeared over the last day.

”What's happening people?” I wave an antennae to them as I enter.

Sloan looks confused for a moment, then shrugs and ignores what I said.

”Thanks for coming, Eldest. Are all ready?”

Present in the chamber are Sloan, Vibrant, Ellie, Bella, Frances the healer, Wills and myself. Not a bad showing, all things considered. Each of us nods and settles in for the discussion.

”I wanted to check with you before I head back to the nest and start making decisions about how to deploy our forces. The main idea I want to hear from you on, is a change in our overall strategy on this front.”

That gets my attention.

”A change, in what way?” I ask.

”In my opinion, we need to be less pa.s.sive,” she says, ”we haven't been able to slow them as much as we wanted, and so far we haven't seen any sign of them being worn down by our hara.s.sment. If things keep going at this pace, we'll be forced into a battle at the gates of the nest without getting the full measure of our opponents.”

”It's too risky!” I protest. ”So many ants would perish if we did that!”

Isn't this exactly what I was thinking about before?! How come I came to the opposite conclusion that Sloan did?