Chrysalis

Once the council meeting ends it's almost as if I feel a gear shift within the Colony. By the time I make it back to Orpule the change has already occurred and ants who I thought couldn't possibly work any faster are zipping about like possessed creatures. A steady flow of burning determination creeps into me through the Vestibule as the tens of thousands of my siblings within range are all furiously devoted to completing even more tasks than they were before. More than once I find myself offering cautionary warnings to ensure that they all get enough rest, otherwise they may end up getting more sleep than they bargained for.

Such warnings are never welcome, per se, but they are usually heeded, and with good reason. If the ants are pushing themselves too hard and the work becomes sloppy they do more harm than help.

The Grove Keeper is initially delighted when I report back to him that we've decided to accept his proposal but his enthusiasm dims when I outline exactly what we are offering.

[This is not exactly what the Mother Tree was hoping for,] he rumbles solemnly.

[Yeah well, she was basically hoping we'd throw away tens of thousands of lives in order to keep her alive and flourishing, which just isn't going to happen. The Colony is in a precarious position right now, which you know, more to the point, the tree knows, so I think she should be, quite frankly, exceptionally grateful that we are going to send our very best and most powerful ants to help her hold out. When we have the capacity to help more, then we will.]

[She did not hold back when she assisted you.]

[Even if that were true, which I can't confirm, so what? You want us all to jump off a cliff? We're ants, not lemmings! Don't think I haven't realised that you're being more than a little reluctant to share details with us about exactly what we would be up against down there. If the Mother Tree, and all of her children, can't deal with these termites then how exactly you expect an army of tier four monsters, no matter how large it is, to deal with the problem is a little beyond me!]

The giant wooden figure slumps a little, real sadness evident in its infinitely deep brown eyes. After a long moment he turns back to the bountiful plants behind him which rustle indignantly for a while before he turns back.

[Mother is not pleased, but she wants me to make it clear that she understands. I have been given permission to reveal a little more of what is happening in order to clarify her position.]

at the sudden inhalation before he lets

Tree is a

A pause.

Yeah? I knew

obvious?! Everyone knows

It isn't something that we usually confirm,] The Keeper tells me sternly. [And it is relevant to

what way? I mean… you guys get spawned like we

Monsters can't reproduce in any other

big tree shakes his

not wish to create a race of monsters, spawned using the means of the Dungeon, since then we would be as mistreated and maligned as she is. It took hundreds of years, and only after ascending to a very high tier was she able to achieve it, but she found another way. In effect, we bruan'chii each contain a portion of Mother's soul. Combined with the method she

Hang on a second.

telling me she literally breaks shards off her

[Hmmmmm. This is true.]

She didn't just spawn new monsters, she made an entirely new race, one that is accepted by the System. In

than Mother, but because the kaarmodo have

sinking feeling in my abdomen that tells

of soul devouring termite? They get a hold of

within the tree, and she can spin us back out whenever we desire. Those who have fallen to the termites are forever lost and now she refuses to allow us to fight