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.]

a lot of sense, Crinis. Good

the dark tentacles flail wildly for a moment before they steady and go back to extracting their terrible toll on the

better at taking

that their whole “cutting the mountain in half” strategy has failed them, the lizards seem to be getting desperate. From out of the deep tunnels an absolute tidal

make matters even more interesting, they burst out from side tunnels as well, rushing into the flanks of the Colony formation, much as we’d predicted. Even if it's all within expectations, that

ka’armodo, they need to drive us back

delighted to

Light ‘em up. Invidia, you go second. Once that’s

[RAAAAAAH!]

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 storm that

in

lightning that sizzle through the air,

to join the ape in his mad assault, Void Chomping whenever I need

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

a time to wrap around the offending

means it’s

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!