Chrysalis

[Damn spider! Get down here and face me!]

The house-sized arachnid, safe in her hole in the wall ringed with poisonous strands of webbing as thick as a car waggled her fangs at me in derision and pointed one leg at the hundreds of ants standing next to me.

[Oh? You'll come out if they go away? Somehow I doubt that you eight-legged coward!]

The spider clacked her fangs and by waving her front four legs managed to convey the message that I was an invading, leg-deficient fool who couldn't be trusted and I may as well scuttle away with my stupid pets and fellow ants because she wasn't coming out to fight. I think she also insulted my mother.

[COME DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT, BUG!]

I was so mad I was hopping on the coating of stone and dirt we'd covered the webbing in, causing trickles of the material to fall into the cavernous space below.

"Eldest, why are you so upset?" Emilia asks.

"She insulted our mother!" I roar back.

The smaller generals aura turns dangerous as she stares up at the giant spider.

"Oh did she…."

are flinging scented insults up at the spider who gleefully waggles her legs back at us. The rage is rising to

death. Not for itssssself, but for you. Denyyy

stared up at the looming mother spider. I brought myself back under control and told the ants to stand down. It wasn't like us to lose control of our emotions. Actually, it was totally like me. It wasn't like my siblings to lose control of their emotions. This dastardly spider might be

keep this in mind, there's going to be an army of ants marching through here at some point, and if you're still around, I'll personally feed you

snap my mandibles at the spider matriarch before turning around and leading our strike force away. The ants are reluctant to leave, unwilling to leave the insult unaddressed,

ground. It's taken a full week of campaigning to get to this point, but the expanse has been basically conquered. Obviously, we did discover the presence of a powerful spider who was laying eggs in here, but it took a long time before we were able to pin down the location of her lair.

hidden super squad and my pets and I, they never had a chance. Even so, there were so many of the

not really for me, but for Vibrant and her squad, it's

go with the big one?! Was it big? Was it tasty?! I

energetic soldier comes bouncing along the web from a

your side?" I ask

cleared out! We left the spawn points alone though,

once, if we come back with more ants, I don't care what sort of traps she has tucked away up that cave of hers, it won't be enough. A monster doesn't get to tier six or seven without developing enough of

better continue our recon mission then. Gather everyone up and we'll head out into the tunnels. We've got a lot of ground to

of levels though! My friends have never been

Wait a sec…

just say friends?"

her

suppose so? Is

I mean, do you even know