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!

around her as she did so, as

could be ignored. The threat to her family could not. The Queen pushed her suffering to one side and once more stalked on her six legs around 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 they’d modified it for her evolution! Even with her strength increased to such a degree, she still couldn’t

do?! A lower tier than the Queen, with none of her physical strength, would they be able

Perhaps, if the colony had given up the humans, then Garralosh would have left

doubt. She herself had run forward to assist the Queen, but now that she was here, what could she do? She could only watch, and

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

Full of strange ideas and dispensing such careless wonders. With such a leader, the Queen felt

would hold nothing

pulled greater strength from her children, which caused her core to begin to sputter and blink as

she drew near, Garralosh opened her great mouth wide in delight. Would

rumbled in the back of the monster’s throat 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

landed heavily on the other side of her foe and immediately flattened herself against the ground as that massive tail swiped through the air above her. Dirt blasted into the air from the wind of

remaining

CHOMP!

behind the strike, the Queen

CRUNCH!

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

GRRRR!

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

whipped her head around, her throat contorted as if it