Chrysalis

The Queen felt herself grow larger as she borrowed the strength of her children. The ants could feel themselves be diminished, but they allowed it willingly. They would sacrifice far more for their Queen, this was nothing to them.

Garralosh watched from the place she had struck the Queen, that powerful tail once more swung lazily through the air as she watched her prey with cruel eyes. She moved slowly, unhurried. Every movement of the giant monster gave the impression of power and confidence. Even as the weakling before her grew larger, she felt no threat.

The Mother of the colony was concerned. Her core had begun to run low. The Queen had poured out all of her mana to empower her carapace and now she had spent much of what remained to activate this feature of her War Queen evolution. She had gained two main things when she evolved. First, the aura to empower and drive her children in battle, and second, the ability to gain strength from those she had birthed herself.

She grew until she was half again as large as she had been. She took a moment to steady herself and then charged.

CRASH!

She slammed into the side of the giant croc and felt the creature shift, ever so slightly. The Queen was encouraged and once more opened her jaws wide.

CHOMP!

CRUNCH!

Her mandibles closed with shattering force and the sound of something cracking rose in the air. The Queen pulled back to take in the damage of her assault. Before her eyes, a single, glowing scale now sported a crack, several inches deep.

She sensed danger and leapt, pushed down with all six legs. Garralosh, irritated by the damage caused to one of her scales, finally moved. Her head snapped around with blinding speed and her colossal jaws snapped shut where the Queen had been just moments before.

The Queen settled herself before a blinding pain rocked her head. Her antenna! Between the teeth of Garralosh dangled a singular antennae, so small and tiny in those jaws. The Croc snapped her jaws again and the organ was gone. Biomass for the great beast.

HUFF, HUFF!

Air swirled around her as she did so, as if a titan had gripped

Garralosh. Grant despaired. The Queen had grown to be the second largest monster she had ever seen. A titanic ant who wouldn’t be able to fit within the nest, even after

could they do?! A lower tier than the Queen, with none of her physical strength, would they be able to cause a wound to this creature? Would

have hidden themselves away. Would Garralosh really have pursued them? Perhaps, if the colony had given

first time, she felt doubt. She herself had run forward to assist the Queen, but now that she was here, what could

given up. Whatever damage she was able to do would aid her most troublesome child when they came out to fight. Every second she fought drained not only her own core, but that of the beast as well. Each moment she endured was a small victory. She would fight for as long as she could, until death claimed her. She could only believe that the troublesome one would be able to finish the work that

such a leader,

she would

children, which caused her core to begin to

drew near, Garralosh opened her great mouth wide in delight. Would this prey give a proper struggle? It had been so

and shook the air once more, but the Queen paid no heed. She would strike a blow here for her children, nothing could shake her indomitable will. Again, Garralosh, who had returned to moving in her lazy, unfocused way, accelerated with shocking speed for a monster of her size, snapped forward, her jagged teeth flashing in

beast, away from that deadly maw. She landed heavily on the other side of her foe and immediately flattened herself against the ground as that massive tail swiped through the

of the colony had no time to clean her remaining antenna, before

CHOMP!

the strike, the

CRUNCH!

as it flew into the air and the Queen felt a surge of wild

GRRRR!

growl, not in pain but anger! How long since she’d suffered a wound? Prey should know its place! The great monster struck out with her second arm closest to the Queen and knocked the puny insect backward a few metres. The Queen scrambled to regain

around, her throat contorted as if it had become engorged from