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.”

on the

your head or anything. I’m the one who arranged that,” the Eldest pointed a leg at the darkness behind them, “and I’m also the one who arranged that,” next they pointed

not sure

second, they’ll be here in a

down the tunnel as the remaining

movement down the tunnel, as a mix of large

tree to cover the nest for us while everyone catches up

a tree waved back before

their mother is a bit of

are we going, Eldest?” Leonidant asked,

mean? Straight into this infinite void of darkness and shadow, of

“What?!”

You guys have been diligent in making

course,” Solant replied, serious. “We were taught to

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 mistakes snowball and we end up right in the… plops,

short order, the giant ant had rounded everyone up and cheerfully led them into the

limits, who skip a torpor period here and there, or go for multiple days without resting. When that happens, someone needs to make them see the error of their ways and ensure they get a good

what’s happening here?”

The Eldest laughed.

Way too many ants not doing the right

travel through the darkness, huddled together around the hulking form of the Eldest in their midst. Then,

something unbelievable taking place. Ants were everywhere, crawling over every surface, on the room, on the walls, but

torpor. Thousands upon thousands of them. As they drew closer,

the rows, teams of ants moved industriously, carrying containers in their mandibles. When they reached a new bed, they would carefully uncover the ant within and apply the contents of their containers to special cloths that they then rubbed

decadence… the luxury of it all.

of course,

then

making a sound or a scent, collecting slumbering members of the Colony, tucking them into beds, cleaning

happening all over the fortress?” Solant

course. Everyone is

them?” Solant wondered,