Chrysalis

Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Ah, the satisfying feeling of having my face hands clapping fools. The monsters of the fourth stratum are tough, there’s no doubt about that, but these are all spawned during the wave, without enough evolutions or mutations to really threaten a highly developed monster like me.

A mass of boulders rumbles towards me, acting in harmony as if connected by some invisible force. An earth elemental?

Chomp!

I shatter it.

“Skreeeeee!”

A feathered worm bursts out of the soil in front of me.

Chomp!

Not today, worm!

A weird, dinosaur-looking thing charges at me, waggling its little arms.

Chomp! Chomp!

Needed two that time!

home to me. Part of that is likely my ant nature, and the other is probably down to the circumstances of my birth. Fighting in tunnels was my first

to bite all these monsters one by one, which is why Gandalf brought us awesome active

VOID CHOMP!

the hyper-potent jet of flame superheating even the rock of the tunnel wall. There’s a lot of spells I haven’t juiced up with the Altar to see their full effects, and this is merely one of them. Infused with the Will of the Colony, the spell is so searingly hot, and travels so far, that all that remains before me is melted slag

Neat.

to advance and retake the next layer of walls at this rate, but if I pour water over it all, won’t the rock crack? I don’t want to cause instability and possibly

leave it. Someone with a clearer head on their shoulders can make those sorts of decisions, my

to the defensive line, exchanging ant high-fives with the stout warriors of the Colony as I pass through. I have to be careful with those now. My antennae have become so large I

the pressure for a few minutes at least,” I announce to Solant and her gang. “After you’ve evolved again, you lot will be able to get

seal the tunnels and close off the nest?”

despite the casualties we inevitably suffer, it’s worth it. The Colony has only grown as fast as it has thanks to our successful defence against, and harnessing of, the wave. How many thousands upon thousands of Biomass are being harvested

nods in understanding, but I have

train your Skills, as well. With every wave, we supercharge the development of the family. Who could say

my crew back to the command centre only to find a

“I assume–?”

“Hurry up!” Victor yells.

a little bit,

bouncing between different tunnels, helping to roll

watch everything like insectile hawks, especially their leader. They study everything, discussing amongst themselves as they develop ideas and strategies together. When I feel it’s safe, I bring them forward and give them

truly endless, as one would expect during a wave. No matter how far back I push the hordes of ravenous beasts, they return in less than ten minutes, baying for the sweet, sweet cores and food

even more frenetic

not hard to