Chrysalis

The Storm rages in the sky

The Madness lurks in the dark

The Eye watches all

Whilst

Their Master sleeps

Until The Day

When All Become One in Him.

- Prayer of the Faithful

With reluctance I let the construct dissolve away and give my brains a chance to rest as the battle draws nearer. I'm still not proficient enough with it to employ the thing in battle, better to give my all to pump out a gravity bomb and then do what I can to support the ants around me. No matter how sneaky I get, the bombs haven't managed to inflict any casualties after the first, but if I stop throwing them then perhaps the Legion would start to spread their numbers thinner and push us harder on a wider front, something I don't want. So every fight starts with a bang, so to speak, as long as I'm around, just to keep them on their toes.

"Are you ready, Eldest?" Wills asks as my pets and I push our way to the front.

"Rested as I've ever been," I lie, "how about you? Manage to get a bit of torpor in between battles?"

My antennae poke forward in an accusatory manner as I ask my pointed question. The scout backs up defensively.

retreat as I move forward. "I'll get

I raise an antenna.

hours! That's

I lower the appendage.

I tell the scout, "but you have to remember that rest is a weapon. We need our decision makers to be sharp and thinking clearly, not

showing up to a fight. Thankfully, I have the Vestibule in my back pocket, which means I'll be able to recover to nearly peak condition soon enough, even if the emotional fatigue is

Eldest, it's just hard to find the time, there's a ton

isn't saying the same thing since the day they were born?" I ask sceptically. "Find some scouts you can trust to help cover you for a few hours, it's not that hard.

artillery as the front line of ants begins to take shape around the defences. The closer we get to the nest, the more thorough and elaborate the preparations the carvers have been able to make. Where once were simple tunnels, walls and ambush points are now pit fall traps, rock falls, hardened rock stakes, reinforced compacted stone barricades and more. I can only imagine how irritating it is for the enemy

to stop them. Even as the ants form themselves into silent ranks, layer on layer of ferocious insect ready to fight, the Legion has begun to form up opposite us. Similar to us, they are strangely quiet as they arrange themselves

Won't be long now.

they clearly see me, so I don't see what would be the point. After almost ten of these conflicts over the last few days, the process has become somewhat routine. Indeed, things begin to follow the expected pattern. Recognising my presence, the Legion soldiers begin their measured approach in the face of a hail of spells

with Invidia helping to

the advance begins anew, steady and slow as the Colony continues to fling everything they have at them. After a few moments to rest, I whip together an ice construct and start hurling spears at the approaching wall as fast as I can. This much is totally standard by

that isn't going as expected. Rather than his usual restless moping during this part of the battle, Tiny is agitated, thumping his chest and bellowing his rage at the encroaching Legion soldiers. The great ape’s eyes have turned a deep red and lightning has already begun to crackle

Tiny, you alright buddy?] I

to shake his fists at the enemy and blast them with arcing bolts of electricity. When his blows fail to leave much of an

big guy,

Too late.

dark wings and leaps forward from the wall, hurtling himself toward the Legion in a spectacularly

you idiot!?] I mentally roar at him but he isn't