Chrysalis

The fungus rattles around us and every member of the group stills themselves, casting our senses about to identify the source of the movement.

[Crinis? You got anything?]

[It's difficult for me to see,] the usually reserved Crinis sounds frustrated and irritated, [the fungus has a mana signature that blocks my sight.]

Dammit.

[What about shadows? Are you seeing anything around us?]

[I think there are tunnels beneath us, but it's hard to say.]

That's not unexpected, considering where we are, I have little doubt that the termites have tunnels beneath us and all over this mountain for that matter.

[Stay sharp everyone. I think we might have company soon.]

The fungus continues to rattle and shake as I eye it warily, my minds already spinning up the constructs necessary to fight. I decide to start pumping out fire mana, since it seems like it'll have the biggest effect on the mould around us as well as on whatever comes out to fight.

The rattling all around us continues to intensify before it suddenly grows still, the five of us left watching the field of white in perfect silence.

SNAP!

before the fungus begins to bulge in certain places, pushing upward as something

[Termites!] Crinis yells.

moment later the surface layer splits to reveal the massive insects bursting through, their jaws filled with more fungus and their antennae swivelling wildly. In truth, they seem just as surprised to see us as we are to see them, but that doesn't stop either side from rushing forward as soon as they realise

to catch the termite on my right by

how many

I'm not sure! I still can't sense underground

let yourself get cornered! If things get too spicy we'll

ROAR!

Tiny rumbles forward, his frightening mass towering over the termites as he swings with colossal force, his fists tearing through the air to crunch into the chitin covered insects, shattering

CHOMP!

across the head as it doesn't turn in time to get its jaws between itself and me. With a satisfying crunch the barbs on my mandibles punch through its shell, but without activating my skills, a single bite isn't enough to put one of these creatures down. Chittering with indignation, my opponent tries to pull back and snap onto my front left leg. In a normal fight between ants and other social insects, the battle for the legs is everything. With huge numbers available on both sides, fighting one on one is basically unheard of, instead teams will try to gang up on an individual, latching

of pinning this termite down for my ant allies to

don't! With a heave of my mighty frame I send the bug staggering back, its six legs flailing as it corrects its balance, its jaws snapping shut on thin air, only to be met with my ferocious charge a second later. The impact of activating the skill is staggering and the termite's shell cracks even further as my own diamond carapace

a torrent of blue flame, roasting the termite where it stands. What I don't expect is for the flame to instantly spread to

hot

as she bats away the termites who

supposed to know this stuff was

their garden sends them into a frenzy as they alternate between trying to put the fire out and punish us for setting it off. I see a few of them duck back underground and rush off

the others as I ready my mandibles for another chomp.