Chrysalis

THWACK!

HIYA!

SNAP!

The moment I entered the Queen’s chamber, a powerful antennae came flying at my head. This time though, I was prepared, I’d thought ahead, inspired by Morrelia’s thoughtfulness I had anticipated how my reception would begin.

Thus it was that I stood upside at the entrance, clinging to the roof with one of my mother’s antennae clasped between my own. Sword catching is for fools, antennae catching is a whole new level.

"Hold on a second, mother! It isn’t like you to be hasty!" I appealed.

The Queen’s eyes lay on me like a weight, peaceful, serene, but heavy.

"I see you have brought a gift for me child" she replied evenly.

I tried to shrug my antennae whilst still gripping hers and largely failed. I wouldn’t weaken my hold just yet, in case she felt I was being particularly foolish.

"Oh this old thing?" I deflected, "there are so many of them up on the surface that I’m starting to think they don’t hold any value at all. Why, I almost feel bad giving you something of such low rarity."

"In that case" mother answered, amusement rippling through her voice, "perhaps it would be best if you kept it for yourself."

Dang it! Operation downplay the core was a failure.

"Is this the kind of welcome you give to your child who was away from home, slaving away as a scout in dangerous territories for the colony?" I try a different tack and divert the conversation.

I may have struck a chord with mother on that one, since she retracts her antennae from my grip before she responds.

"Welcome home child. I am, of course, very pleased to see you, even if I am concerned at what mischief you might have caused whilst you were away."

Oh, she’s definitely amused now. I reply whilst climbing down the wall to the chamber floor, hoping to put myself on more solid ground.

"You wound me, mother" I say reproachfully even as I sweat inside.

to come down this was earlier than they had planned, but considering the Kaarmodo lizard was actively utilising scrying

necessitates her guard to be constantly on-alert, seizing monsters the moment they spawn from the walls, subduing them and more often than not bringing them to the Queen to kill,

up whilst I was away. Nothing

antennae waggled with frustrated

had assumed as much the moment you

Ouch.

I wondered, trying to shift the

to take the bait. Her eyes

she is currently positioned with the brood under the watchful eye of the tenders. Did you

pleased to see your pet has brought you such

and we all loved her back, but we had stuff to do. It’s nice to have someone be your devoted companion. I only had to think of the ever loyal

now and she’ll be able to add her own eggs to the brood chambers"

Queen nodded happily, "it will be so helpful for the

work I’ve done, it’s time to bring

"So about this core..."

THWACK!

Ouch!

antennae descended on my

of this gift

winced, but held my

I’m not going to need another for a long time. I promise you I will obtain more of these cores for myself before I need it, but right now there is nobody in the colony who can

The Queen wasn’t convinced.

of the generals? If the family is to fight for its survival, they will need to be as strong as possible. I am the only Queen in this colony right

for the colony if she were lost. In truth, I suspect that she simply sees herself as performing her function for the

we disagree and I’m not going to back

me. I have a rare core already and soon I’ll be prepared to evolve. I promise you that whatever battles threaten the family, I will stand forward and fight. There is no other ant in this colony who is close to matching me. What we need isn’t more battle potential, we need the strongest Queen possible to act as our

Queen to go along with my idea. Why is it so hard to convince this particular monster to

I suspect that you will be again. In truth, giving you this core will increase our fighting potential the most, as well as increase the future growth prospects of the colony. You have to accept it. Even if all it does is relieve the nerves of the workers, none of us want to lose you and it will give us comfort to see you as powerful as

out, for the first time I noticed that not only was the Queen watching me in her careful way, but so where her guards, all of them facing me at rapt

Mother" one

would be a boon to the

fall" a third chipped in,