“So how does it feel, Eldest?’

I turn a little to look down at Advant. I’d never really considered before, because I’d never really had to, that the position of my eyes and shape of my head blocks my vision to the ground beneath me. Unlike a human, with a handy dandy neck, I can’t exactly look down.

So when Advant approaches close to my legs and wants to chat, I actually can’t see where she is. I lower my legs on one side to change the angle and I spot her on my left.

“Oh, there you are. What do you mean by that?”

“To be a tier seven? You’re reaching levels of power that most in the Colony can only dream about.”

I feel a little uncomfortable when she puts it that way.

“What do you mean? You’ll reach this point soon enough. Bit of time, Biomass and cores are all you need and bam, you’ll be my size before you know it.”

Or bigger, considering her energy is mostly dedicated to physical growth, whereas I split mine. To my surprise, she shakes her antennae in denial.

“No, I don’t think there will be many who manage to take the leap that you have. The amount of resources required to push one of us to such a high tier is hard to justify. There are over a million members of the Colony now, each and every one of them in need of cores to fuel their evolutions. We must consider the strength of the overall family.”

“We still need a few heavyweights,” I suggest, “that big burny demon was a good counter to our normal swarm tactics. Having one big shot to take it down fast is the right call.”

“I agree with you, but I don’t think that will be me,” she sighs. “I have responsibilities as a member of the council, I can’t be hoarding resources and putting myself on the frontline all the time. Vibrant will likely be supported to make a push toward evolution, but I doubt I will ever reach tier seven.”

Huh. It’s a sobering thought. I’m tempted to say something like “if you wait long enough, you’ll surely get there eventually,” but that doesn’t really work. Sure, a monster will accumulate Biomass and experience throughout their life, but cores are a different matter. If the population of the Colony continues to grow in the manner that it has, then the demand for this precious resource will only continue to grow. If the Colony decides they would rather direct that resource to bringing up new members as opposed to investing at the top end… it's hard to argue with the decision.

After all, I was the one who insisted we do everything we could to boost each individual in the Colony.

“It’s hard to describe,” I say, trying to give a better answer. “I’m not used to being this big, for starters.”

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Of all my evolutions, this is by far the largest increase in size I’ve had. Other than the tier five soldiers, almost everyone around me can walk straight under my carapace without me even having to lift myself up.

Comparing back to my human body is almost pointless. My mandibles are longer than I was tall, even before the leg thing. In short, I’m huge! The tunnels and caverns I roamed through in the first stratum are forever off limits to me now, there’s just no way I would fit!

I have to admit, thinking back to that period, it feels good to know I could totally stare down a croca beast with trivial ease.

Tiny is still taller than me, but in terms of total mass, he’s fallen far behind me for the time being, something that appeared to hurt his feelings. At least, he was sulking up a storm when I woke up, flexing quietly in a corner.

“I’ll be able to give you a better answer when a little more time has passed,” I tell Advant. “For now, I’m still not used to a lot of things.”

The soldier nods.

“Well, what are your plans for now, Eldest?”

I’d love to experience less pain….

“I’ll return to the fourth and help things get rolling down there for the moment. You’re all safe enough for the time being, even though the demons are going crazy. When you need me, send word and I’ll pop in to help.”

I can probably use the Mother Tree’s gate to head back, but I’ll have to rely on Brilliant to bring me back in an emergency.

“As far as I can tell, you’re going to have a harder time than I am,” I tell her, “but you’re all way better at organising this sort of defence than I am. Once we get dug in, a million demons won’t be enough to break through.”

Now that the Queen and the rescue force have returned to friendly territory, the short term emergency has been resolved, but the ongoing danger in the demon stratum continues to grow. The Colony needs to get to work preparing for the onslaught, and I need to prep myself for battle with possibly multiple tier eight demons.

Not looking forward to that….

“Alright, I’d better get going then. Good luck, Advant,” I snap her a quick salute which she returns after a moment of surprise. “Take care of our people. I’ll make sure at least half of the troops in the fourth come back to support.”

“That’s not necessa-” she starts to reply, but I rush off without letting her finish.

They want them all to stay and protect me. Bah! As if I need it!

I really need to find Sarah and see what she’s up to as well. She’d be a great help in the current situation. I don’t want to catch up with her just so I can laugh about being bigger and taller. That’s just nonsense.

I rush across the demon plains, exchanging greetings and waves with the many, many ants I pass along the way. It feels like the entire stratum has come alive as the Colony has moved in with much larger numbers. Construction is occurring all over the place, forts here, walls there, bridges, raised roads, nests, mines, forges.

The wheels of industry turn ever forward, especially when it's ants doing the driving. The gigantic nests we’ve constructed under the plate cities we conquered were just the beginning, apparently. I feel sorry for anyone who thinks they can get rid of us once we decide to move in, even the demons. It ain't happening!

Driven by the ceaseless pain of the Call, I rush back to the garden of the Mother Tree.

Aside from the agony of the Ancient-inflicted curse, I’m also a little concerned about Crinis. She’s always been a little… attached to me, ever since she was reforged as a pet. I’m hoping she’s been able to cope with the separation.

I’m sure it’s fine. I’ve been gone for what… a couple of hours?