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!

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 roars and screeches and the demons react to the cacophony. The unfortunate individuals who got to see my incredible diamond carapace far more closely than they might have liked, scramble to their

of attention is the last thing

hard left, we'll try to lose

to the limit, I divert my non-inconsiderable weight around a hairpin turn, dashing into an alleyway between two teetering buildings. A difficult manoeuvre that has strained my legs,

BOOM!

building on the left… that's perfect. Driven even further into his rage by the offending structure, the giant ape lashes out, his powerful arms smashing any remaining

Come on!] I urge him and he shakes off the bricks and bounds to his feet, leaving a

slashing at the air, they make a perfect spotlight for the first pack of demons,

were supposed to have the fanciest feet?!] I yell at Tiny but

protective of has really tipped him over the edge. Which could be a problem… nothing I can do about it now though. Recapturing the hatchling is all that matters 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

champions, how is the Colony ever going to develop to the point that they aren't dependent on me to protect them?! They need to be able to stand on their own six legs! I can't guarantee that

step further, aren't I throwing myself into trouble and the Colony is the one pulling me out of it? Isn't that carapace in the fire in

another time! Get.

gaps? I'm an ant, dammit! I'm going over the top! As I speed toward another building, instead of going around it I simply raise my front legs up and dig in with my claws, racing up the side of the wall and

BOOM!

by Tiny's bellow and the harsh impacts of fists striking home with tremendous force.

Wonderful.

my mandibles on that

a faint wisp of energy trickles into the vestibule, snapping my attention around just in time for my antennae to catch a whiff of the little ant. With one