Chrysalis

In the back of my mind I worry that the king chubster himself, Grokus, might have seized the hatchling the moment she slipped away from us, to use as leverage, or just to eat, who knows? But from what I can tell, the trail leading to the little runaway doesn't lead back to the column in the centre of the plate, in fact, it seems as though it’s looping around the outside.

Stupid hatchling! You just wanted to go sightseeing that badly?! When I catch you, I'll dangle you over the edge for a week! See if that doesn't fulfill your need for a good view!

[Master! Do you sense her?] Crinis asks.

[I do! But the trail is weak. Can you see anything?]

[Her mana signature is so weak,] she frets, [it's almost impossible to find her when we're surrounded with so many tier six monsters.]

That's something else to remember, even if they didn't all evolve perfectly, each and every single monster around here is the same tier as us. If all of these demons decided to fight us at the same time… it wouldn't be pretty.

[This way!] I cry as the sense from my vestibule veers sharply one way.

[No! She's looping back! This way!]

A hard turn brings us smack into the middle of a pack of demons coming in the other direction, a variety of shapes and forms, all grotesque and deadly in their own fashion.

[Move it!] I bellow.

CHARGE!

stamina explodes around me as I activate the Skill, sending the pack of monsters scattering like bowling pins. Thankfully they were all the more slender types of demons otherwise it might have been like headbutting a brick wall. Tiny bellows once more, the rock reverberating with his battle cry as he slams his way forward, both fists pounding into the stone. The ruckus we cause is undeniable and immediately there are answering

last thing we

try to

non-inconsiderable weight around a hairpin turn, dashing into an alleyway between two teetering buildings. A difficult manoeuvre that has strained my legs, but with any luck we've managed to break line of sight

BOOM!

even further into his rage by the offending structure,

with the wall! Come on!] I urge him and he shakes off the bricks and bounds to

air, they make a perfect spotlight for the

fanciest feet?!] I yell at Tiny but he's too far lost in his rage to hear

now! How many tens of thousands of new ants have been born between Vibrant and Brilliant! She might be a handful, and a massive pain in the abdomen, but Vibrant is one of the strongest and most dedicated ants in the entire Colony, with her own high-levelled army to help her protect our family. If Brilliant is even half as capable when she's done evolving and developing her Skills then she'll be an incredible asset to the Colony. An irreplaceable part of the collective that will help

the point that they aren't dependent on me to protect them?! They need to be able to stand on

the one who puts the carapace in the fire most of the time. Actually, to take that a step further, aren't

Worry about it another time!

going over the top! As I speed toward another building, instead of going around

BOOM!

me as I continue running, followed by Tiny's bellow and the harsh impacts of fists striking home with tremendous force. Next thing, two demons are thrown out the side of the

Wonderful.

I get my mandibles on

into the vestibule, snapping my attention around just in time for my antennae to catch a whiff of the little ant. With one dashing leap I throw myself across a gap and onto a nearby building where, looking down into the alley, I see a suddenly