When they stepped into the chamber, Kaede's eyes imdiately fell on Pito, who stood at attention, her diminutive fra radiating pride. After seeing at least five Antari and their massive fra, Pito's smaller fra was a new look for Kaede.
Next to her lood the "significant" addition, a massive spider, its hulking form dominating the room. Its multiple legs twitched slightly, the faint shimr of silk visible at the tips. Its carapace glead in the light, and its eight eyes reflected an unsettling intelligence. The room was unnervingly quiet, save for the occasional soft hiss of the creature’s mandibles.
Kaede stopped mid-step, her brows lifting slightly. "Well, that’s... impressive."
Pito bead, her voice high and confident. "Master, I present to you the Weaver’s Titan! This one is perfect for spinning webs strong enough for any purpose. And it's well-behaved," she added, glancing at the spider as if daring it to prove her wrong.
Kaede tilted her head, studying the spider carefully. It was clearly a monster, but not aggressive, at least not at the mont. Its massive size and specialized nature made it ideal for the weaving project, though she couldn’t help but wonder how much effort it would take to manage a creature like this.
Acer, standing beside her, tilted her head curiously. (It’s huge, Mother. Do you think it’s friendly?)
Kaede smirked faintly. (Friendly isn’t the word I’d use, but it doesn’t seem hostile. That’s a good start.)
Stepping closer, Kaede addressed Pito. "You’ve done well. This will make things much easier for the silk production. Did you encounter any issues during the capture?"
Pito’s chest puffed up with pride. "Not at all, Master! It put up a bit of a fight, but nothing I couldn't handle." Her upper arms shot up, her hands spinning two familiar weapons. "A few blasts of these babies, and it accepted its new role."
Kaede blinked at the two plasma guns Pito was twirling on her fingers. "I completely forgot I gave those to Kirara. You seem to be handling them well."
Pito paused, her compound eyes frozen as if caught in a cri. She imdiately bowed multiple tis in quick succession. "My apologies master the human was unconscious and I just wanted to try out the weapon and then I got carried away and forgot to return it and I'm going to return it right away."
Kaede laughed. "It's alright Pito. The guns were just in case Kirara found herself in a bad situation. You can keep them."
Pito straightened instantly. "Truly?!" Her compound eyes shone as she bounced in place. "Oh thank you master. Oh my babies!"
Kaede nodded thoughtfully, her gaze drifting back to the spider. "Good. You're in charge of the spider. I’ll need you to monitor it closely for now. Move it to the Kyusha mountains. Make sure it’s kept well-fed and in a controlled environnt. We can’t afford any accidents."
"Understood, Master," Pito said, her voice brimming with confidence.
Kaede stepped even closer to the spider. The creature’s eyes tracked her movents, but it remained still. She studied it for a mont longer before turning to Ari.
"Set up a secure enclosure for it near the weaving station. We’ll begin testing its silk in a few days," Kaede instructed. "Also, add a note for to design a weaving station." She turned back to the smaller Antari. "And Pito, excellent work."
Pito bowed deeply, her antennae twitching with excitent. "Thank you, Master!"
As Pito scurried off to make the necessary arrangents, Kaede turned to Ari. "There's so much work to be done. Get so rest, tomorrow will be a busy day."
Ari nodded. "Of course, Mother."
Kaede’s gaze shifted to the spider one last ti before she turned toward the exit, Acer following closely at her side. (Hey mom, why didn't you na her?)
Kaede paused mid-step at Acer's question, her mind briefly snagging on the thought. (Na her?)
Acer nodded, her leafy hair swaying softly. (The spider. You usually na important things. She’s part of our plans now, right?)
Kaede’s lips twitched into a faint smile. (You’re right, I suppose it deserves one. But I... We only need its webs right? I'm not sure how, aware it was... I don't know, I'll probably na it at so point. That would make her part of the family. For now though, it's just a monster we happen to need at the mont.)
(You'll probably na her anyway,) Acer added playfully.
Kaede laughed softly, shaking her head. (True.)
////
And so, the next day arrived. The queens returned, making quite an entrance, as Ari had predicted, their arrival as flashy as it was impressive. Kaede decided to learn shadow movent imdiately.
With them ca the final tally of their colonies' numbers.
Hachi’s original colony consisted of 1,420 leafcutter ants, all awaiting nas.
Crimara’s colony was slightly larger, boasting 2,004 fire ants under her command.
Aurina’s colony, however, dwarfed the others, with an impressive 11,230 army ants at her disposal.
Altogether, there were 14,624 ants that Kaede needed to na. With Ari offering a few suggestions, it was decided to split the naming process over six days, with Kaede naming just over 2,000 ants each day. While Kaede argued that she could handle naming more in a day, the queens and Ari imdiately vetoed the idea.
While Kaede focused on naming one group of ants, the rest continued working on establishing their new ho in the Kyusha Mountains. To assist with coordination, Kaede created multiple projection devices and distributed them among the queens.
The first day of naming began early, with Kaede seated comfortably in the largest chamber of the Antari’s growing colony. The queens flanked her on either side, their antennae twitching in anticipation as the first group of ants filed in, orderly and silent. Ari hovered nearby, ready to assist.
Kaede took a deep breath, tapping lightly on her lap. "Alright, let's make this efficient. Hachi, bring them forward in smaller groups. I’ll na them in batches, and Ari can record the nas."
Hachi nodded, her regal deanor softening slightly as she gestured for the first group to step forward. Each ant stood tall, their movents a perfect sync. Kaede smiled faintly at their discipline.
"Okay," she began, her tone warm but firm, "let’s start simple. Group one, your nas will follow a pattern: Amon, Aria, Aya…"
As Kaede continued, the process quickly fell into a rhythm. Ari diligently noted each na, while the newly nad Antari filed out, shifting in what Kaede interpreted as excitent.
By mid-morning, Kaede paused, stretching her arms above her head. "This isn’t as bad as I thought," she admitted, sipping from a cup of tea Ari had brought.
Acer, perched on a nearby ledge, giggled. (Told you naming them would be fun. Look at their faces when you call their nas, it's like they're glowing!)
Kaede chuckled. (That's because they're evolving Acer, but I’m glad they’re happy.)
The rest of the day followed much the sa pattern, with Kaede naming group after group until she reached her daily limit. As the last batch of nas was called, she leaned back, exhaling a satisfied sigh.
"That’s it for today," she announced. "Hachi, Crimara, Aurina, great work organizing them. Sa ti tomorrow."
The queens bowed in unison, their voices overlapping. "Thank you, Master. We will ensure they are ready."
////
anwhile, in the Kyusha Mountains, progress on the new colony was steady. Pito, overseeing the spider’s enclosure, worked tirelessly to ensure the Weaver’s Titan remained secure and comfortable. She had already tested small amounts of its silk, marveling at the strength and flexibility of the threads.
"It’s perfect," Pito murmured, watching the spider spin another strand. Her antennae twitched as she turned to one of her newly nad assistants. "Double the feeding schedule. If it’s happy, it’ll produce more silk."
The assistant nodded, scurrying off to carry out her orders.
By nightfall, the queens and their colonies had returned to their temporary quarters, and Kaede sat quietly in her private chamber, reviewing plans for the weaving station. Ari approached, her steps light.
"Mother," she said softly, "will you be able to handle this pace for the next five days? You already look tired."
Kaede glanced up, a small smile playing on her lips. "Don’t worry about , Ari. I’ve handled worse. My passive regeneration makes this a whole lot easier. Besides, this is important. The sooner we finish naming, the sooner we can focus on the bigger picture."
Ari nodded but didn’t look entirely convinced. "If you need rest, please don’t push yourself too hard."
Kaede reached out, gently ruffling Ari’s antenna. "Thanks, but I’ve got this. Now, go rest, you’ve been just as busy as ."
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