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!

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 roars

This level of attention is the last thing

we'll try to lose

buildings. A difficult manoeuvre that has strained my legs, but with any luck we've managed to break line

BOOM!

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 wall within reach and turning

wall! Come on!] I urge him and he shakes off the bricks and bounds to his feet, leaving a new collection of enraged demons in

make a perfect spotlight for the first pack of demons, who quickly follow after us. Just…

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

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

aren't dependent on me to protect them?! They need to be able to stand on their own six legs! I can't guarantee

argument could be made that I'm the one who puts the carapace in the fire most of the time. Actually, to take that a 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

Worry about it another

then who cares about these alleys and gaps? I'm an ant, dammit! I'm going over the top! As I speed toward another building, instead of

BOOM!

I continue running, followed by Tiny's bellow and the harsh impacts of fists striking home with tremendous

Wonderful.

I get my mandibles on

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 cowering