Chrysalis

Antionette and Victoriant sat in the secure chamber in which the Eldest was evolving. Soldiers and scouts lined the walls, Brood Tenders, with their soothing growth auras were in attendance and the two guardians watched all with a sharp eye from their positions on either side of their master.

"How long until the Eldest wakes up do you think?" Antionette asked for the fifth time.

"I have no idea," Victoriant gave the same reply.

The two juvenile Queens fidgeted for a moment, giving their antennae a restless sweep through their knee joints, before they settled once more. The Eldest had undergone many changes over the last hour, a dramatic increase in size being the most obvious, but still they showed no sign of awakening. This deep in the nest, the battle could neither be felt nor heard, but it weighed heavily on their minds.

"I didn't think it would be this frustrating," Victoriant sighed.

"I'm beginning to understand why the Queen is getting so restless," her sibling agreed.

"At least mother can actually perform her function. She can lay eggs and create a future for the colony. What about us? We aren't allowed to fight, can't try to gain experience and can't lay eggs. I just feel so useless."

"Cheer up, Victoriant. We knew we would need to be patient when we chose this path. If you look on the bright side, the two of us are closer to our next evolution than the other members of the council."

"That's only true because other members of the colony risk themselves and fight in order to bring monsters to us so that we gain the experience."

Speaking of which, after a short tussle near one of the walls, a soldier came toward the two of them carrying a heavily damaged shadow beast which was promptly deposited at their feet.

"Thank you very much," Antionette called as the soldier returned to her post.

level fifteen," Victoriant told her

"Me too," Antionette confirmed.

who got the experience last

believe it was

"Alright then."

to a powerful physique and more to create space for the numerous organs necessary to facilitate the egg laying process. Unlike the Queen,

more after that until they would fully mature as Queens, able to produce hundreds of eggs each day, so long as they were

had been willingly funnelling resources into the pair, hoping to increase the growth rate of the colony as soon as possible. The two of them already boasted maxed out cores and had both been presented with special cores some time ago. Five more

Tungstant storming into the chamber from above

Eldest?" the harried looking carver ant

updates, better

flicked a curious antennae at her sibling before

the last time you

ant slumped in frustration before she wandered over to where the Eldest rested. The two guardians shifted at her approach, not hostile, but ensuring the little carver was aware they knew she was

familiar dance of measuring the height and length of the Eldest by stepping out the distances with careful,

ant turned back despondently, only to be pounced on by her

The two juvenile queens

the

made to retreat from the second wall, the call should be