Chrysalis

Solant knew, of course she knew, how could she not? But the task before her didn’t change, no matter what was going on behind her back.

“Focus your fire forwards! Don’t pay any attention to what’s going on behind! Hold the line!”

The fighting was still intense, though it had slackened, thankfully.

“Are you sure, general? Things are… rather dire back there.”

“Leonidant, I don’t care if the fortress collapses behind us, we will achieve victory here, in this tunnel, at this chokepoint!”

“But the fortress may well have fallen behind us, Solant! We don’t know what’s going on back there!”

For over an hour, reports had flooded to those fighting on the front that any and all communication with the central planning chamber had been lost. The fighters here in the tunnel had been cut off from central command completely.

That didn’t bother Solant so much, she had a job to do, as did every other ant here, and if there was a problem in the nest, that was for others to deal with. The Eldest was back there, for The Queen’s sake! If the Eldest couldn’t deal with it, she assuredly couldn’t.

And so, the fight had gone on.

Then the reports had changed. Not only was the central command chamber enshrouded in darkness, but the shadows were advancing down the tunnels.

Solant had glared at the scout and told her to get back to fighting.

“Rotate!” she demanded, and then twitched when she realised that the next line of soldiers was gone. There was no one to rotate forward.

Instead, all that lay behind her was a black wall of shifting shadows.

“Well… that’s not ideal,” she muttered.

“Yeah, don’t stress about it,” came a familiar scent, followed by the giant head of the Eldest. “You did a good job holding the line. Well done.”

She was pleased for the compliment, but felt it wasn’t deserved.

“We only held because the number of monsters encroaching on our position diminished significantly. If it weren’t for that, we would have… lost.”

Eldest tapped her on

or anything. I’m the one who arranged that,” the Eldest pointed a leg at the darkness behind them,

not sure what

second, they’ll be here in

the Eldest swatting the occasional monster that came down the tunnel as the remaining troops, those not swallowed

of movement down the tunnel, as a mix of large and small

nest for us while everyone

large specimen of a tree waved back before they turned and settled in to defend

group like them on our side, even if their mother is a bit of a jerk. Alright, they’ll take things

Where are we going, Eldest?” Leonidant asked, a little

into this infinite void of darkness

“What?!”

already. You guys have been diligent in making sure you hit your rest

taught to always get proper rest in the

good idea,” the Eldest approved, “if you don’t get enough rest, if you don’t take proper care of yourself, then your work gets sloppy and all the ants around have to pick up the slack. Extra work for everyone. When too many ants are working exhausted, the

everyone up and cheerfully led them into the gently shifting

or go for multiple days without resting. When

what’s happening here?” Solant asked

The Eldest laughed.

Way too many ants not doing the right thing. The whole

around the hulking form of the Eldest in their midst. Then, suddenly, shockingly, they were through it, emerging out the other side into the central planning

of the dark mist still curled and drifted through the air, smothering the light and deepening the shade. Inside, Solant saw something unbelievable taking place. Ants were everywhere, crawling over every surface, on the room, on the walls, but even more than

adrift in torpor. Thousands upon thousands of them. As they drew closer, Solant could see

of their containers to special cloths that they then rubbed over the slumbering ant’s carapace, leaving it gleaming. Then another ant, a carver, would

of it all. How terrible.

Eldest, of course,

on time, then you get the full treatment. So

ants continued to work without making a sound or a scent, collecting slumbering members of the Colony,

this happening all over the fortress?”

course. Everyone is

about them?” Solant wondered, indicating those