Chrysalis

Grant exited the small council chamber and returned to the widened main shaft. Gripping onto the walls that glowed with intense, blue light, she made her descent toward the lowest chamber in the nest where the Queen now rested.

As the shaft opened up, Grant took in the contents of the room at once. It was crawling with ants. Over a hundred had been committed to the defence of this room. The spawns were happening rapidly now, shadow beasts and plant monsters erupted from their cocoons in the walls at regular intervals and no harm would be allowed to come to the main occupant of this chamber.

She loomed large in Grant's eyes now. She sat in the centre of the chamber as her protectors revolved around her, as if she emitted a powerful force that kept them close but unwilling to approach. Grant saw a shadow beast erupt out of the floor, right under the giant form. Before she could even shout out, the Queen had shifted her weight and stabbed down with one leg, impaling the shadow beast clean through. The Queen brought the leg to her mouth and swallowed the Biomass in one go.

"Have you come to greet me, child?" a warm voice rang out.

Grant started and came back to herself.

"Ah, yes Mother. I've been checking on the soldiers and I wanted to speak to Sloan, if she was here."

"She is." The Queen flicked an antennae toward one corner where Grant could see a small cluster of scouts, generals and soldiers had gathered.

Grant completed her climb down the wall and steadied herself on the floor, looking up at the new form of her only parent. The Queen had already been the largest ant in the colony by a wide margin, but her evolution had pushed the boundary even further. Grant was one of the largest ants also, being a Mature Soldier who had the benefit of maxed core evolutions. The Queen towered over Grant. Her mandibles were almost equal in size to Grant's own head.

The power contained in the rare core was no joke.

"Tell me," the Queen continued, "did the troublesome one return?"

"Yes, Mother," Grant told her, "the Eldest has begun their evolution in the chambers above."

The Queen tilted her head to more directly face the roof of her chamber, as if she could penetrate the layers of rock and soil that lay between and stare at her wayward offspring.

"That is good then," she huffed.

worried that the Eldest may not make

look

am always worried about that one. Do you think

to admit wrongdoing or poor judgement in the Eldest. How could she? The Eldest had

has been known to push a little too hard at

of every ant present, causing them to pause for a moment as the warmth of her

agree,"

be a power struggle between the two most revered members of the colony. On the one claw, the Queen, mother to them all, who had raised the colony from nothing. On the other hand, the ant who had caused the colony to be reborn into something new, something better, and in so doing had claimed the position of the Eldest Formica

to hold extra concern for her most troublesome child. The Eldest, for their part, appeared devoted to the Queen and the colony without reservation. Both of them appeared happy to leave the day to day running of the colony to the council. Which seemed to

It wasn't antlike, to worry about these things. Grant could sense that now. The colony had been pulled into unexplored Dungeon by the Eldest and they would need to puzzle their own way

they talking about over there?" Grant muttered as she watched the huddle around

adapt the plans for the upcoming battle," the

the plans?! We've pinned down every angle we can possibly

The Queen shifted.

trying to account for what I've said I will do

brought Grant up

you'll do?" she

child, as I should," the Queen replied

"What?!" Grant panicked.

Queen couldn't be on the front lines! She should be in

mind, the Queen chuckled

in the nest during the battle, child. I will fight, as I did when

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and looked up at