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.

may not make it back?" Grant

her head to look Grant compound eye

that one. Do you think I

She was unwilling to admit wrongdoing or poor judgement in the Eldest. How could she? The Eldest had done more for the

a little too hard at

Queen chuckled. The scent of her mirth spread throughout the chamber and tickled the antennae of every ant present, causing them to pause for a moment as the

have to agree," the Queen

had been wary that there may 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

be brewing. The Queen remained devoted to all her children. Uninhibitedly so. But she appeared to hold extra concern for her most troublesome child. The Eldest, for their part, appeared

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

Grant muttered

to adapt the plans for the upcoming battle," the Queen

are they changing the

The Queen shifted.

fault," she sighed, "They are trying to account

brought Grant up

you said you'll

the front, child, as I should," the Queen replied

"What?!" Grant panicked.

be on the front lines! She should be in the nest! Deep in

her mind, the Queen chuckled

evolution to be sheltered in the nest during the battle,

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took a few deep breaths and looked up at the