Chrysalis

The waves in the Dungeon are terrifying occurrences, really. I mean, monsters start leaping out the walls and floors, and it can be very difficult to determine when and where that’s going to happen. Not to mention the strata become absolutely flooded with ravenous, crazed beasts, driven into a frenzy by the close proximity of other monsters and the never-ending violence.

I can only imagine what it’s like elsewhere in the Dungeon, the various kingdoms of humans, ka’armodo, golgari, brathian and whoever else is out there bunkering down to weather the storm. Imagine being a civilian at a time like this! Knowing that there were billions and billions of monsters spawning each and every day, every single one of which would be able to gobble you up like a snack. Spooky.

The Colony has become a gigantic society of ant monsters with millions of members, but even for us, it’s difficult!

As the hours pass and the fighting grinds on and on, I catch the scent of many conversations between the various castes, each with their own woes. The healers are still constantly stretched to breaking point, having to ration their healing fluid and magic. Many, many ants are sent to the hospitals with very curable wounds simply because Biomass and time will heal them just fine, saving more scarce resources for the seriously injured.

And there are lots of seriously injured.

The monsters of the fourth are unlike anything we’ve seen before. There’s fewer of them, but they are much larger and stronger than, say, the average shadow beast. Dinosaur-looking things, elemental creatures of pure energy, rhinoceros covered in fire, snakes made of ice. I even fought a gorilla monster covered in a layer of liquid metal! What the heck is that!? I wish Tiny had seen it. If it impressed him enough, he might actually include some defence in his next evolution.

From one moment to the next, the ants have no idea what is coming for them, forcing them to adapt on the fly, and it isn’t always possible to come out the other side in one piece. It actually scares me because these monsters, created by the waves, are low in level and rank. The real monsters are out there, feasting on the weaker prey, holed up in their own little pockets of territory. What might they be capable of?

less direct way than the healers. During the wave, all of the Colony’s mines, fields and harvesting locations are shut down, out of reach. The ants will dutifully serve the Colony with joy, of course, but they’d rather be crafting, building new nests, toiling away on major infrastructure or working on the millions of artistic projects that pop up all over

shapers are unhappy. It’s hard for them to leave the nest during a wave, especially in the fourth, so they’re trapped without a lot to do. Some generals are doing a great job folding them into their ranks, seizing on the flexibility that they offer, but others, not so much. So far, the Colony hasn’t settled on a doctrine that includes the core shapers and implemented it Colony-wide, and that might

keen to see

there, Eldest? Need

behind me calls out. I just finished off a weird smoke leopard thing, so I shift slightly to check the situation behind me. There’s a small taskforce back there, a couple hundred ants, but obviously the generals have sent the bulk of the troops holding this tunnel to other

I been out here?” I

ago, and I’ve just been fighting and eating since then. With so many ants nearby, I simply don’t get tired; my body feels as fresh as a

a bit over

“Two days?!”

into the right places. At least my grinding is paying off, though some are harder to raise than others. My minds are constantly churning the mana around me, and every time I inject a monster with gravity, I strain to bursting in an attempt to weave it. With a little

were wondering if they should relieve

not a good look if everyone else has to rest constantly but I don’t. On the other hand, I’m the only one with my unique

need to be relieved in twelve hours,” I instruct, and the

sure a full army will be here in less than