Chrysalis

The Queen crunched her demon prey with satisfaction. A strange, bladed creature, the monster had put up quite a fight before she’d been able to overpower it. There was something so gratifying about hunting for her own Biomass. She doubted she would ever get tired of it.

“This area isn’t secure, Mother. We shouldn’t tarry for long.”

There was something else that she was definitely tired of, though.

“We are perfectly safe, my child,” she gently reminded the soldier charged with managing her security today. Her antennae waved to indicate the area around them. “We are secure within the borders of the Colony. There are cities held by our family in every direction. What harm can possibly come to us?”

Indeed, the Queen was suffering from the overprotective nature of her children even more than usual lately. She insisted on her daily hunts, but the restrictions they tried to put on her grew more onerous by the day. The area she’d been limited to held only meagre prey, and wasn’t large enough to replenish between hunts. What’s more, it was bordered on all sides by Colony strongholds. She was literally surrounded by armies of her children.

She’d even begun to suspect they were combing the hunting grounds to prune out any creatures that they thought might be too dangerous.

She was a patient creature, the Queen, filled with love and acceptance of her children’s quirks, but even she had limits.

“I think I’ll head somewhere different and continue my hunt,” she announced, “I am not yet satisfied with the Biomass I have collected.”

Indeed, it was difficult for her to gain sufficient food on these trips, since there were so few higher tier demons.

grew still and looked at

you would need to return back to the nest right about now. You wouldn’t want

not obliged to come with me, of

She paused after her outburst to steady herself.

place clean before she got there. The Colony

direction would take her into Colony controlled and sanitised areas of the third stratum. That is,

the layer below. I hear there are strong monsters

of her guards within range to smell what she’d said froze in place as the Queen began walking toward the nearest tunnel entrance. There was a

can’t

wide enough, I know that many have

mining and exploration had been constant since the Colony had made their home here. Constructing wide and safe pathways was always a priority for the

in the Colony. That was likely a good thing. If the children started

what I mean!” her guard protested. “That area isn’t

I was fighting long before even

and even more running ahead, desperate to reach the tunnels before she could get there. She didn’t

mean, Mother! There has been word of great danger brewing in the layers below! Powerful demons of extremely high tier. The whole stratum has been