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

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

of her physical

away. Would Garralosh really have pursued them? Perhaps, if the colony had given up the humans, then Garralosh

she felt 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 try

Every second she fought drained not only her own core, but that of the beast as well. Each moment she endured was a

dispensing such careless wonders. With such a leader, the Queen felt certain the colony would survive

would

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

opened her great mouth wide in delight. Would this prey give a proper

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

of the 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 air above her. Dirt blasted into the air from the wind of the strike, dirtying the

time to clean her remaining antenna, before Garralosh could reposition her tail, the Queen had

CHOMP!

her whole body behind the strike, the Queen

CRUNCH!

she broke through. Hot blood sizzled as it flew into the air and the Queen felt a surge of wild joy as she felt

GRRRR!

great monster struck out with her second arm

her head around, her throat contorted as if