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

really think you can stop her?"

chance," Victor

managed to convince her to return once. Why not once more?"

flicked her antennae toward the battle that raged at

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 again,

to help her!" Sloan

we will. Coming

"Let’s go!"

rushed forward to join in the battle. There was nothing left to do now but fight. The closer they came the more their senses were overwhelmed by

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 caste ants that had followed her crashed against the enemy like a

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 or five ants were there to meet it. The soldiers on the front line were the first to move, they seized the victim in their mandibles and pulled, trying to haul them

got hold of them and the unfortunate creature was

from the edge, lest the inferno claim them. The wash of heat was felt dozens of metres away as

only ant not to take a backward

by the face of her enemy, after all

the hideous creatures came within her range, the Queen 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

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 touched

all her acid away, the Queen relented in her opening

Sloan

I’m needed here," the Queen spoke sharply, unwilling

... try not

could respond, another scent

shouted as she barrelled forward, excitement and rage evident

as she watched her sibling rush forward. The enthusiastic approach she didn’t mind, it was the complete lack

tried to call,

soldier anticipated her siblings would attempt to cut her off and moved to render their efforts

this time, Sloan! I will fight,