Chrysalis

The approaching red-armoured figure clearly hadn't expected to be descended upon by the heretofore hidden ant squad. Even I was a little shocked to see them, to be honest, and I'd known that they were there the entire time. I've looked a little deeper into the methods that Protectant and her squad uses to keep themselves from being noticed, much to their discomfort. I've come to believe that the council hasn't asked them to ignore my instructions explicitly, but trained them to think that protecting me from myself is literally half their job.

Which hurts. It's probably fair, but it still hurts.

So, even when I ask them to do, or not do, certain things, they look at me askance and I can almost hear their internal dialogue, wondering if I'm about to get myself killed. But, their stealth organs are an incredible piece of work, some of Gandalf's finest. It's an immensely powerful application of mind magic. One that infiltrates passively, slipping through any defence that I've seen and making the recipient ignore their presence. Even for me, when my Vestibule is clearly receiving energy from the twenty super spies, it won't let me pinpoint their existence, because my mind doesn't want to acknowledge that they are real.

There are limitations of course. If they get too close, if they intrude on another creature's senses too much, then the charade falls apart. With a high enough Will stat, the effect can also be resisted, somewhat. The other cost being that purchasing the organ basically sucked up all of the evolutionary energy they had available when they went from tier three to four, leaving them with comparatively low stats.

Even so, working together in a team of ten, they leap from concealment to seize upon this eager figure, one who had run too far ahead of her group and thus made herself vulnerable. I watch from my position in the fight as Protectant and her group meld into my perception, already leaping forward to strike the strangely familiar figure.

A two-weaponed berserker? I know one of those, but why would Morrelia be here trying to kill us? And surely all berserkers use two weapons, they don't seem like the defensive type. I mean, they wouldn't be berserkers if they were, right?

This internal monologue continues as the figure is brought to the ground, wrists seized by two separate ants as the others swarm atop the armour, biting and gnawing as they try to penetrate the thick plate.

"Protectant!" I holler, "get the helmet off!"

My pheromones flood the room and reach the group instantly. They react instinctively, leaping to follow my directions as they use their mandibles to pry at the helmet, trying to rip it clear. The soldiers in front of me don't respond well to one of their own being jumped. On either side of the shield bros, a pair forms up and activates a new type of Skill. Movements so in sync they almost look like robots, the four bring their blades down in a shining arc, the weapons swung so quickly I can't see them move. What's more shocking, is the blade light merges forming together to create a single beam that slices towards me, thicker and more threatening than before.

a moment before those deadly arcs of light hit

full of regeneration fluid just as my antennae register what Protectant

have it, Eldest! The

unprotected mind. I push hard with my mind mana, flooding their mind with my own consciousness. Who are you?! What the hell are

a second… This

Morrelia screams

I snap the connection.

getting out of here, people! Back

and get the heck out

along in one meaty fist. Crinis slithers back toward my carapace, but at the same time weaves her shadow magic to suck away the little light left in the room.

the roof! Invidia, help

the stone overhead with one colossal fist just as more explosions detonate

[Crinis, pull us out!]

[Yes, Master!]

of us. She slingshots us forward

really hurts. I mean, I don't really mind being surrounded by dirt and stone, but this is a

[You guys okay?]