Chrysalis

As if the first gate wasn't impressive enough, the second one is even larger, thicker and more heavily enchanted than the first. Not to mention it positively bristles with ants in defended lookout posts. How anyone could possibly break through, I've no idea. If another wave happened, we'd be laughing at the monsters on the outside. Unless a battering ram made from living metal happens to spawn nearby, I don't think anything will get through.

That's not a challenge, Gandalf! Don't you dare create that frickin' creature just to spite me!

After passing through the second gate, the procession began to break up. Sarah and Jim are led to a nearby chamber to rest as the scouts, soldiers and generals break away to find their own chambers to enjoy their rest. As they march past me I don't see the grateful ants I thought I would, but tense and somewhat resentful ones. You hate rest that much?! For a brief moment I contemplate increasing their enforced break to twenty four hours, but managed to contain myself.

"I told you they wouldn't like it."

"Sloan? Bah! Who cares if they don’t like it? Rest is important and we're all extremely fatigued. They need it."

She shrugs.

"You may be right about that. I know I'm exhausted."

I look at her appraisingly.

"That's not something I hear many members of the council admit to, Sloan. Is this indicative of growth?"

not. Perhaps I've

now, so you

"True."

to give me the stink eye as they leave. I make it a point to stare them down, waving them away with my antennae. Yeah, you go rest and you

branching tunnel, just taking in the design with my pets in tow. The further I go, the more of my siblings begin to cover the surface of the tunnel and I notice something different. The way the tunnel has been shaped is off. Only when I pause, causing a few hurried ants to crawl over me since I'm holding up traffic, do I realise the difference. In the first nest, tunnels were usually round and

of traffic to exist, one on the floor and one on the ceiling. More than that, the shape of the floor and ceiling aren't flat, but rather folded into waves, like the letter 'w'. By watching the ants travelling around me, I realise that this increases the surface area that can be gripped, allowing more ants to move through at the same time. The ceiling is shaped the same way, but with the dips and valleys opposite to the floor, so the same distance is maintained from the ground and the roof at all times. It's a little thing, but it's super clever! They've really been putting those brains I gave them to good use! Chuffed, I keep moving down the tunnel,

it so I can make a more thorough inspection. It looks like a metal plate, indented with numerous grooves that form a strange pattern. I look at the thing with interest, unable to work out what it's for. Have the Carvers decided to engage in some sort of modern art project? I wouldn't call the thing objectively beautiful, but it certainly is different. Then all of a sudden the metal plate speaks

daily rest is

"Gah!"

back in surprise when my antennae register the ant pheromones emitting from the thing. What the heck was that?! It speaks? Obviously I know that it isn't speaking as an ant would, of its own volition. This is clearly a clever invention that can store

I can't sense a damn thing though. Once it had spread its message, all sign of pheromones have vanished without a trace. Are they magically developed? That would

constructed with that same wavy rise and fall, dotted with side tunnels. My antennae tingle with a constant stream of ant communication and the persistent trails that advertise where each tunnel leads. Rather disturbingly, in the centre of the chamber, a rather elaborate looking stone statue of what appears to be me stands proudly, pointing into the distance with one leg as the antennae slope forward at a noble

carapace and for a moment I'm tempted to go down there and smack the thing down, but rather quickly I start to get noticed. Which isn't hard when Tiny, Crinis and Invidia are

but the ants slow down a touch when they see me, some of them muttering

get some sleep. We'll go out hunting tomorrow before we

[Hmm. Slip.]

Master. You won't go

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