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.

know," Victor replied,

stop

a chance,"

Why not once more?" Sloan protested, desperation

flicked her antennae toward the battle that raged at the

Queen 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. There is nowhere else to retreat to now, if the colony puts itself between her and danger

to help

we will.

"Let’s go!"

closer they came the more their senses were overwhelmed by the din of battle. The

the Queen. Before they could reach the edge of the wall, the Queen and the ferocious worker and artisan caste ants that had

air, so thick it fell like rain over the enemy and the Garralosh spawn roared with pain and anger. The ants cared not and made no sound as they doubled their ferocity. For every monster that made it to the top of the wall, four

smaller ants got hold of them and the unfortunate

of ants fell back from the edge, lest

only ant not to take a backward step was

she didn’t appear to care, her attention was seized by the face of her enemy, after all this time,

reared back and raised her head before she lunged forward and unleashed a torrent of acid from her mouth! Garralosh spawn in front of her were bathed in acid in an instant,

multi mouthed heads to belch powerful flames to counteract the acid. The Queen did not relent and continued to pour out her acid, the powerful stream rained down 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

drain all her acid away, the Queen relented in her opening salvo and clacked

careful!" Sloan sputtered, exhausted from the

this time. I’m needed here," the Queen spoke sharply, unwilling to

know that! Just ... try not to die!"

Queen could respond, another scent

do this!" Leeroy shouted as she barrelled forward, excitement and rage evident in

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

tried to call,

cut her off and moved

I will