Chrysalis

"Haul your abdomen, Sloan!" Victor yelled at her slower contemporary.

"I’m coming!" Sloan grumbled back.

The two generals were exhausted. They hadn’t fought on the front line during the course of the battle but they’d been debating, planning and coordinating the efforts of the colony without pause for over a day without rest.

"Finally getting to the good part and you want to miss out?" Victor joked.

"I’ll push you into the mouth of a Garralosh spawn," Sloan promised, "watch yourself up there."

"I’m not worried, Leeroy will probably already be in there and can push me out."

At the mention of the more... enthusiastic of their soldier siblings, an irritated twitch flicked through Sloan’s antennae. Now that they’d come to this point, nothing could be held back any longer. Which meant that Leeroy, and the soldiers who’d kept her pinned down in the nest, had been sent back to the wall.

The two generals rushed out of the dark nest and into the bright light of the surface. Victor shielded her eyes with her antennae as best she could as she stared at the carnage taking place beyond the walls. From this high up, she could see the children of Garralosh approach, flames trickling out from between their teeth.

"About time you slackers made it up here," Burke observed from nearby.

"We haven’t been slacking!" Sloan ground out.

"I know that, obviously." Burke turned to Victor. "Why is she so tense?"

"Not much torpor."

"Ah."

The three of them continued to observe the battle. Things were heating up now, and not just because of the flame spewing crocodile monsters. The Queen had re-joined the front line and the ants there had quickly reached a boiling peak of rage and fury.

"We need to get down there," Sloan gasped urgently.

Victor replied,

think you can stop her?" Burke asked

a chance,"

once. Why not once more?"

the battle that raged at the seventh

is committed. I don’t think she expects to survive this battle. The only reason she retreated last time was because she would have caused more deaths than she saved.

to help

course we will.

"Let’s go!"

were overwhelmed by the din of battle. The roar of the monsters, the clash of claws, mandibles

that, the three felt the boiling rage and feverish heat that built within the closer they came to the Queen. Before they could reach the edge of the wall, the Queen and the ferocious worker and artisan

they doubled their ferocity. For every monster that made it to the top of the wall, four or five ants were there to meet

hold of them and the unfortunate creature was buried under a swarm of

and hundreds of ants fell back from the edge, lest the inferno claim

take a

care, her attention was seized by the face of her enemy, after all this time, at last

unleashed a torrent of acid from her mouth! Garralosh spawn in front of her

on monsters up to thirty metres away. When acid and flame met, the stream exploded into boiling hot clouds of acidic steam that wafted over the battlefield, scalding all who touched them. Sadly the colony had no wind mages to direct the horrific steam

in her

Please be careful!" Sloan sputtered, exhausted from the

time. I’m needed here," the

know that! Just ... try not to

could respond, another scent intruded on their

as she barrelled forward, excitement and rage evident in every

forward. The enthusiastic approach she didn’t mind, it was the

She tried to call,

siblings would attempt to cut her off and moved to render their

time, Sloan! I will