Chrysalis

This stupid wave! Just how threatening does it have to get? I'm already a wrecked heap. A heap I say!

Now the veins are extending into the escape tunnel, which will surely cause monsters to spawn right under our feet!

An addition we have to deal with these unknown threats from below? It's enough to drive an ant crazy!

Ok.. Think Anthony, what are you going to do?

Stay and fight? Against what!? We have no idea what sort of horror is going to ascend up that tunnel, eager to eviscerate our most sensitive zones? There is absolutely no way we stay here and battle it out against whatever is coming up. One of the first things I learned about in this Dungeon is not to pick a fight you aren't sure you can win.

Run?

Run where? The tunnel isn't complete! All we can do is run up towards a dead end! They don't call 'em life ends for a reason!

Only one choice remains! Hide!

"Quick! We need to cover up the entrance and seal this tunnel!" I shout to the workers around me,

The workers respond to my call to action rapidly, as they usually do. This is a family that can be relied on in a pinch!

A hundred workers leap into action, hauling dirt up to close off the remaining open section of the tunnel entrance, quickly shovelling dirt with their mandibles.

From beneath us the sounds of bloodcurdling screams and the wild gnashing of teeth, grinding away at the bones of still living foes echo endlessly, certainly providing ample motivation to my own digging efforts.

going on down there? Actually, I'm not confident that I really want to

sounds like the monsters down there are experiencing a kind of existential terror that I wasn't sure

explore the deeper layers below just to know, just to see what it was like down there, what sort of creatures

that feeling, I have to say. To the surface my

slowly extending their baleful reach further into the escape tunnel. The speed is still slow, perhaps only as much as thirty centimetres an

mana concentration still growing?! Is that why they are moving in this

about

the workers to move faster as the dirt flies, ants crawling all over each other in their eagerness to complete the task

the horrific noises from below continue to grow louder we quickly seal off the escape tunnel, plunging ourselves into

are enough motivation for me to continue stacking

dirt, fellow workers! Start bringing

put an amount of earth between us and the horrors that will soon enter that chamber that I'll

tendrils of the mana veins on

actually dig themselves out into the tunnel they'll be easy pickings

cylinder. As the rest of the Dungeon is plunged into blood and

have are air and food. I'm not exactly sure how much air monstrous ants require in

has a voracious appetite, the need for sustenance is constant. Without being able to charge out and secure Biomass every few hours we will eventually starve

long will Tiny last

for now, if I can put off letting him know

period of time helping the digging, with the sounds rippling out from the Queen's chamber growing more and more muted until barely the slightest of vibrations can be felt I decide to head to the front of the tunnel to check on our

A lot of progress has been made! According to my tunnel map, which has reached level two, the tunnel still has a long way to go

of the solid ground in

at this end of the tunnel are still vibrating with enthusiasm, fawning over their mother and, vigorously transporting the