Chrysalis

Chapter 1240

“We aim to advance in ten minutes. Make sure your squads are ready.”

They had spent a week preparing for this expedition, training, theorising, testing. Bella and Ellie had worked overtime, stretching their knowledge of monster anatomy to the very limits, studying the cores of fifth stratum monsters with intense focus.

Solant’s broodmates acknowledged her instructions and rushed off to carry out her word, only Leonidant remaining behind.

“How confident are you?” the scout asked.

“That’s an unusually direct question.”

“These are unusual times.”

“Very true words.”

Solant reflected for a moment.

“We really have come a long way, haven’t we?” she said, cleaning her antennae carefully. “It wasn’t that long ago the only thing we had to worry about was Tunnel Ball and completing our training exercises.”

“The Eldest certainly changed that in a hurry.”

The giant ant had thrown Solant and her broodmates into the thick of the conflict at the earliest possible opportunity. It had been a brutal learning curve, for all of them, but they had grown so fast as a result of the change, it was difficult to view it as a bad thing.

“I believe the Eldest was wise to place us here,” Solant decided. “It’s been an excellent opportunity to develop ourselves and be of use to the family.”

“That doesn’t answer my question. How confident are you?”

Solant considered the question for a moment.

“About half,” she said finally. “It’s lower than I would like, but we need to start testing our ideas sooner rather than later. More certainty will be hard to come by without taking a few risks now.”

trust you,” the scout reassured her general. “I’m sure

course,” Solant nodded,

on the bigger picture, not spend her time fussing over the minor details before they set out. No

capabilities,

really are heading

to see Ellie and Bella, the two core shaper Council members, approaching from the nest. Each looked visibly worried, antennae twitching and legs flexing

and your caste members have completed to this

thought we were working on solutions

her, eyes focusing down the tunnel, but somehow looking far beyond. “For now,

from her place in the column and Solant

time to depart. I’ll give you

Bella said. “I hope the pets will do us

“I’m sure they will.”

and took her place amongst the column as it slowly began to move, picking up the pace as the thousands of ants slotted into line. A constant

was grim, as

Colony, moving out and down, closer to the fifth, but as reports rolled in, it seemed they would hardly need to travel at all to find what they were

of the way into their journey, the column ground to

according to plan, we won’t be here

running a keen eye along the troops as she passed. Was it a trick of the light, or did

predicted,” Sumant said, indicating forward with one

but the distance had grown shorter and shorter as the wave went on. Now, barely a single kilometre from where they’d started, Solant was

slime was everywhere. Thick pools of mucous covered the floor of the tunnel, fibrous strands stretched every which way, forming a spider web of goop. It dripped from the ceiling,

then up through the fortress until it spilled out into the

come to

“Any monster sightings?”

“None, thankfully.”

“Then we can deploy.”

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