Chrysalis

Ants flooded through the tunnels, called to action stations by urgent pheromone messages distributed by the still under development “automated noiseless announcement system.”

If Sloan had any hair, she would be pulling it out of her carapace right now. Instead, she had to settle for tugging insistently on her antennae with her mandibles as her brain tried to spin the logistics needed for the required movements.

“It’s fine,” she said to the other council members, who stared at her, doubt plain in their eyes. “No, really. All we have to do is mount a campaign to secure this location, protect the Eldest and develop our defences, whilst simultaneously attacking into the teeth of a ravenous horde of demons on the third stratum to rescue the Queen. Simple.”

“How is any part of that simple?” Propellant scoffed. “This problem doesn’t go away or shrink into insignificance just because you pretend it’s easy. We need you in reality, Sloan.”

“Reality isn’t my friend right now.”

“Nobody is disagreeing with that. There has to be a way to turn this around. We need explosive action!”

“We need a calm, measured response,” Coolant rebutted. “If we rush we might make a critical error.”

“If we don’t rush we’re going to be too late! We don’t have time to think.”

“Both of you be quiet,” Advant said with authority, causing the two mages to subside. “Sloan has already described what we need to do, and it is simple. There has to be a defensive force left here to protect the Eldest until they complete their evolution. There also has to be an extensive force assembled and launched into the third stratum to protect the Queen and prepare for a possible demon invasion.”

to comprehend the scale of the task, and

even worse than that,” Sloan said. “If something is turning the demons rabid, then we have to consider the

within their own cities

that,” Propellant said, looking shocked. “If that happens,

we need to divide ourselves between the two locations. I suggest that the bulk of the fighters be sent to combat the demon

Leeroy,” Advant

the armour-clad Immortal burst

then it’s likely to be far more dangerous than just demons. We need to keep our best

suppose

solemnly while the rest of the council gave her thankful nods. Without the chaos of the Immortals and their antics, the rescue mission could proceed much

to it. Good luck, everyone,” Sloan said. “I’ll be in the command centre down here if

provided by the Mother Tree. Hundreds of thousands of the most battle

to descend in columns kilometres long, covering the vertical roads they had

Queen was in danger, and there wasn’t a single one of them who wouldn’t answer the call. Despite their fervour, at all levels,

at times, wondering if the Colony outnumbered the larvae on the plains. The great pillars on which the plate cities rested were covered in the crawling forms of the family as tens

established above the tunnel the Queen had