Chrysalis

It is difficult to say how the Colony’s attitude to the pets raised by the eldest came to be what it is today. There was always a level of respect afforded to them, naturally; they were allies and assistants to the Eldest, and therefore allies to all of us. Some of the dignity and power of the most august ant, the first among equals, attached itself to them.

But that began to change as we and they continued to develop. Our society grew more sophisticated, our understanding of pets and their attitudes more developed, and at the same time, they were changing. They grew stronger, learned, fought, evolved and with the astonishing level of freedom and independence that the Eldest fostered in them, they began to interact with us in new ways.

The Shadow began to contact… some ants… in clandestine ways, seeking to assist in their task and develop their skills, teaching them the ways of the darkness.

The Storm would often go out of its way to help hunters in need, sharing food and protecting them from harm. Many would tell stories of the Storm descending from above and smashing foes to bits, before being patted on the carapace and fed Biomass.

The Eye was much less inclined to interact with the Colony at first, its taciturn and hoarding nature precluding such activities. But with time, this changed. When the Colony had something to teach, the Eye would always appear, ready to learn, and exchange knowledge in return.

We called them Guardians for a long time, as they protected and defended the Eldest from harm, but in time they grew into that name, and became defenders of us all.

- From the notes of Historiant.

[Holy moly! There’s a ton of the buggers,] I exclaim to my pets.

[Perhaps the ka’armodo were holding back their true numbers to prevent losing too many in the collapse, Master.]

makes a lot of

before they steady and go back to extracting their terrible toll on

much better at taking compliments, it's good

the lizards seem to be getting desperate. From out of the deep tunnels an absolute tidal wave of termites is breaking, climbing up

into the flanks of the Colony formation, much as we’d predicted. Even if it's all within

gambit of the ka’armodo, they need to drive us back or drag us down,

I feel delighted to

up. Invidia, you go

[RAAAAAAH!]

around him in deadly bolts. The sheer amount of juice Tiny can output nowadays is slipping right off the scale and he takes full advantage of the wattage, unleashing a devastating electrical

they had wiring in this place, it’s wrecked

the air, leaving a sharp tang on my antennae. All around, termites are dropping

forward to join the ape in his mad assault, Void Chomping whenever I need to clear space in front of me as Crinis

great for Tiny, he’s having the time of his life, roaring and smiting as he goes, until it all comes to an abrupt and sudden end. It’s obvious he hasn’t been keeping track of how much he had left in the tank as he suddenly runs out of spark mid-leap and lands in the centre of a termite cluster. He immediately becomes covered in a gnawing pack of bug monsters, the confused

his rescue, her tentacles snapping out, dozens at a time to wrap around the offending enemies and

means it’s now Invidia’s

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!