If there is a type of warfare that suits the Colony's talents better than a defensive siege, I don't know what it is. Our capacity to build, fortify and repair is exceptional, and we can pack far more numbers into far smaller areas than most species.
I've often considered what the best way to attack a stronghold defended by my army would be, and I always co to the sa conclusion: fight sowhere else.
Dislodging the Colony from a fortified position is never worth the cost.
- Excerpt from the notes of Solant.
I have to say, probably not for the first ti, just how much I dislike the Krath. It's not that they're the schoolyard bully, but they're the annoying kid who always knew how to point the bully in your direction, sohow always on the one day of the week mother had provided lunch.
How the heck did you do it, Derrick? Could you sll the margarine sandwich?! It's not possible! Even if you did sll it, you would have thought it was a butter sandwich!
Gah. These damn slugs have got so worked up that I've got weird mories from my last life popping up. The good old days when I was in primary school and still got lunches from ho. It was only when I got to high-school the real foraging started.
Who even cares about that?! I've got stupid slugs to try and hunt.
And my family brings all the food I could possibly want these days. In fact, I kind of feel like they bring too much. There's only so much I can eat, and I don't need to consu Biomass to heal that much, since I trigger my healing gland over and over again.
It's nice and all, but there's other ants who need the food more than I do. Yeesh, I'm starting to sound like my mother. My real mother. She still complains about the Colony trying to overfeed her, even though she hunts for most of her own food. I never thought I'd sympathise.
I settle down amongst the reserve troops further back in the fortress to wait. If I go straight to the front, the slugs will call off whatever they've cooked up until I leave. It's been way more efficient just to sit here and wait for them to make a move; at least I get to see so action that way.
The thousands of soldiers, mages, generals and scouts in the waiting grounds make space for in the middle and generally go about their business as if I wasn't there.
At least, that's how it seems on the surface. Through the Vestibule, I can feel the Will of the Colony flooding through , which ans I know exactly what they want. What they want right now is for to crush the Krath. The ants are diligent and dutiful soldiers who've remained calm in the face of the hit-and-run tactics, ambushes, feints and assaults, but even they can be irritated.
The Krath are such a pain in the thorax that even my siblings have had enough. I have to do my best to make sure I don't let them affect my ntal state. If I get impatient and make a mistake, then I'm handing the Krath exactly what they want.
"This really is an annoying opponent to face," Advant sighs as she settles in next to .
"I can handle annoying a lot better than I can terrifying. If they can't do better than this, then we've as good as won already," I reply.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," the massive soldier warns . "Attacks are getting more intense all around the fortress. The hospitals are filling up with toxin and poison cases. The slugs are looking for ways to harm us through the blue mana, and it's working."
"It's not fast enough," I reply. Of course I'm aware of what's going on around the fortress. "Every day, the construction becos more complete. At the rate things are going, the outer defences will be finished before they make any real progress."
"That's true," Advant says, cleaning her antennae in a fussy manner. "But only if they don't continue to escalate."
At that mont, a wave of pheromones floods through the waiting area, rolling over the reserves like a wave.
"Seems like tunnel twenty two is being hit again. Things have been quiet for a while over there."
I lever myself to my feet and Advant flicks with an antennae.
"You're heading out?"
"That's one of my favourite tunnels. I've been having fun crushing the hopes and dreams of the Krath in there."
"Well, be careful, they might be aiming for you in particular with this attack."
"Geez, I hope so."
At least that would an I'd have sothing to go up against. Every ti the Krath in this particular tunnel wind up for sothing, they end up running for the hills as soon as I show my face. The mont that beca clear, it beca my mission to make them run every ti. ɽ
You cowards get nothing!
Once I'm up, I imdiately start running, following the trails through the increasingly developed sections of the fortress-to-be. When I reach the tunnel in question, I'm delighted to see that the attack is well under way. Raging monsters right at the barrier, Krath lurking relatively close. This is finally a chance to give them the business!
Let at 'em!
I charge forward, pushing straight past the disciplined ranks of the Colony and out into the toxic mana beyond the safe-zone. I'm imdiately surrounded by a swarm of sli-coated beasts and sludge-shooting goopy things.
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