Chrysalis

When the gates finally fell, they fell with a resounding 'boom' that echoed from the walls of the tunnel. Might seem a little excessive to knock the damn things off their hinges, but that's what the Legionaries decided to do anyway. Perhaps they felt the width of the nest entrance was a reasonable width for them to engage in and I have to agree. The tunnel approach to the nest narrows as it approaches the gate, stays the same for a short distance before it opens out into the chamber beyond. To be honest, they're probably just happy not to see yet another gate waiting for them in the distance.

Once the gates are down, it takes the Legion a few minutes to reorganise their formation before they once again begin their approach.

Boom!

What the heck was that?! The vibrations of a colossal impact roll through the rock beneath my legs and my antennae waggle through the air in confusion as I try to pick up the source. It didn't happen within the nest, that's for sure, whatever it was that caused that, it surely originated outside the gates.

"Eldest! Can you sense what that was?" Burke rushes up to me.

"I'm trying to work it out," I reply distractedly as I focus on watching the approaching soldiers whilst reaching out with my mind.

The distance is too far for me to reach, even with my relatively high Skills, but there are definitely fluctuations in the mana further down the tunnel, behind the approaching force.

"I can't be sure," I respond tersely as I set my mandibles, "but it seems like something is happening at the rear of the Legion forces."

Burke is

am I supposed to know, Burke? Maybe put a

between us and

"I noticed!"

I join my brethren, using all three pairs of legs

*CRUNCH*

else they have at their disposal. Armour and carapace are dented, cracked and splintered as neither side holds back any of their strength, the Legion on the precipice of victory, the Colony on the edge of annihilation. My carapace absorbs numerous blows in the first few seconds as weapon light blooms all around me. Only my future sight and heightened reflexes keep my antennae attached to my head as my body makes the minute adjustments necessary to absorb all the strikes with my diamond exo-skeleton. Precious diamond carapace. Where would I be without you? If I could, I'd kiss that precious stuff, but

to tell what sort of effect it's having, but then again, it's hard to get a good visual of the battlefield when I'm doing the dirty work here in the front line. Shields

barbs on my mandibles begin to crack and splinter. My regeneration gland is running dry again already and my helpful healer friend had to pop up and top me off within the first

the cry rises from somewhere

of pheromones crashes through

the Queen once again pushed herself to the forefront of the battle, shouldering aside the children who tried to block her way. She would not be denied by them, not this time. Unwilling to put up any real resistance to their mother's advance, the soldiers and

on the brink of death. Covered in wounds, her fur matted and dark with her own ichor, the friend of the Colony fought on as if she felt none of it, a seemingly never ending roar bellowing

noticed. They had been on the verge of finally bringing down this monstrous entity, only for it now to get a sudden boost of health. Despair gripped their lines which was only made worse when the Queen activated her war form. Drawing energy from every ant in the room, she grew in size until she loomed over the enemy who shrank back from the

hunts had helped to level her combat Skills, the extra