Chrysalis

"What do you think, Ellie?"

"They're magnificent, Bella. Works of engineering, imagination, and unyielding effort! This must be the art that the Eldest spoke of when we were in training."

"I agree! This is art!"

"Do you think the other members of the council will agree with us?" Ellie asked hopefully.

"Not a chance," Bella replied.

The two Core Shapers didn't allow the perceived dearth of culture in their fellow council members to dim their enthusiasm at the successful culmination of their project. The colony had entered the mandatory rest period now and almost all members of the family had entered torpor. As non-combatants, the two Shapers were not expected to participate in the battle. But that didn't mean that none of the Shapers caste would be present. Fifty Shapers rested in the large chamber that had been constructed once the colony had approved the project.

These shapers were young, barely hatched in time through the dedicated nurturing of the Breed Tenders and then put through a brutal, accelerated training regime in the academy in order to bring this project online in time.

"I wonder if this is how the Queen feels. Gazing down on her children," Bella wondered aloud.

"Perhaps," Elligant mused. "Though, as beautiful as our creations are, can they really compare to the wonder of the ants the Elder created?"

"Of course not!" Bella scoffed. Then, "I do wish we could have gotten one more evolution into them before they were forced into battle."

"No point fretting. We were lucky to get this project off the ground at all. Don't you have confidence in our work?"

"How could I not? The Eldest put us onto this path with their own words! It's sure to succeed!"

"Which do you think will perform better, the Manglers, or the Reavers?"

but saw the potential in a force of Core Shapers with pet soldiers. How could they not? The Eldest deployed such tactics with tremendous success! It also helped to bolster the numbers of the colony and provide them with disposable soldiers who could be reconstituted and raised again provided the colony recovered the

enhanced arm strength, more devastating claws and fangs than the regular beasts. The Mangler, Bella's concept, sported increased leg strength

modifications by shaving away at the Cunning and Will of the original monster. With the Core Shaper controller, fully tooled up with pet related skills, in charge of the thinking, the pets didn't need that

how they performed in the Dungeon?"

do! I do! Wasn't

the devastation that they would cause.

single one! Mark my scent Bella, after this battle the Core Shapers will rise high in the colony! The Shapers will became the true

with eyes that sparkled as they imagined the bright and glorious

Elsewhere in the colony…

fire mages will cause the most

invaders by the hundreds. If not thousands. I struggle to see how your hot-headed members will

is going to be scared off by getting DAMP?! My Mage-Ants will be causing explosions, not hosing down the enemy! Are you trying to hurt them

continued to bicker with each other as their fellow caste members rested within the chamber. Soldiers patrolled the space as this chamber was below ground level, a deliberate choice in order to afford the mages a chance to refill their cores and magic affinity

mage ants had continued to swell in the build up to the battle. Of the four base elements that were the cheapest and easiest to train, the vast majority eschewed earth and air, following their elders

field will have an impact on the result?"

in the Dungeon tunnels?" Propellant queried,

about the impact of the more open space on

in mind? I can't imagine the bolt spell will be much less applicable in the open than it is in

be more useful due to the increased range. But no

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Propellants eyes lit up.

using them

"Quite."

calculated the mana expenditure against the expected

numbers appear to