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!

beneath us breaks before the fungus begins to bulge in certain places, pushing

[Termites!] Crinis yells.

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

forwards hoping to

how many

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

don't let yourself get cornered! If things get too spicy we'll have to back out and retreat to safety

ROAR!

a mighty bellow, Tiny rumbles forward, his frightening mass towering over the termites as he swings with colossal force, his fists tearing

CHOMP!

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 onto their limbs and holding them down

down for my ant allies to finish off, but

shut on thin air, only to be met with my

You might be born on the sixth stratum but even you can't handle my shiny glory! Unwilling to play with it any further, I spin up the mana I've kept in reserve and unleash a torrent of blue flame, roasting the termite where it stands. What I don't expect is for the flame to instantly spread to the mould, melting it like wax even as it catches fire. If it were only that, perhaps it wouldn't be much of an issue, but unfortunately for us, it seems as

hot in

do?!] Sarah wails as she bats away the termites who try to swarm

know!] I cry. [How was I supposed to know this stuff was so damn

into a frenzy as they alternate between trying to put the fire out

warn the others as I ready my mandibles for another chomp. [Let's clean up a little and then