The spider's husk had been stripped clean. My followers dragged its fangs and legs into our chamber, piling trophies against the wall. The colony still pulsed with the queen's scent, but here at the edge, her pheromones grew faint. It was a place where a new scent could rise.
I stood on a smooth stone, antennae flicking. My small army — now twenty survivors, hardened by the beetle and spider fights — waited below. Their mandibles clacked a steady rhythm. It wasn't obedience born of instinct; it was the first beat of loyalty.
[Faction: 20 ants][Resource Cache: Spider Fangs, Beetle Shells, Seed Fragments][Skill: Pheromone Surge — Lv. 1]
The queen's pheromones pressed in faintly, a warning pulse: return, feed, serve.
But another pulse stirred in my chest: my own, sharper, hungrier. Grow. Expand. Lead.
I knew staying meant being crushed under the weight of her will. The queen would see my rise as a threat. And I had tasted something greater than survival — purpose.
I turned toward the crack that led to the surface. Sunlight leaked in like a blade of fire, scattering through dust. None of my followers had ever stepped beyond this point.
[New Quest: Establish an Outpost Outside the Colony]
Reward: EvolutionaryChoice]
I signaled three scouts forward. Their antennae trembled as they stepped into the light. The air above was warm, thick with scents of grass, damp earth, and predators far larger than anything below. A world of opportunity.
We climbed out.
The ground was a jungle of towering green stalks, pebbles as large as boulders, the sky an endless blue ocean. Every vibration hummed through my legs. We were nothing here. But nothing had been my beginning.
"Gather," my pheromones ordered. "This is ours."
The first outpost began with a single hollow under a rock — a place to store seeds, to hide larvae we might steal, to plan raids. My ants dug, working with a speed and precision that made my chest ache with pride.
[Outpost Established: Rock Hollow]
[Faction Morale +3]
As we worked, a new scent drifted on the breeze — sharp, bitter, and organized. Another ant colony. Rivals. Stronger. Their patrols moved in lines, disciplined, armored.
A thrill ran through me. The queen's colony had taught me obedience. The beetle and spider had taught me battle. But this — this would teach me war.
I looked at my twenty hardened followers, their mandibles shining in the sun.
Even an ant could become a lord. But a lord who led others out of the dark tunnels into the open world… that could become a legend.