Chrysalis

“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.”

reassured her general.

nodded, “we

before they set out. No matter how much she wanted to. The more she tried

their capabilities, but it was hard

are heading

Bella, the two core shaper Council members, approaching from

we are on the right track,” Solant said. “I believe in the work that you and your caste members have completed to this point. Without proper assessment, we won’t be able

were working on solutions for the toxic mana and miasma for the

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

place in the column and Solant turned to the two

to excuse myself, it’s time to depart. I’ll give

the pets will do us all

“I’m sure they will.”

the column as it slowly began to move, picking up the pace as the thousands of ants slotted into line. A constant stream of scouts ran forward and back, alerting Solant and the other generals as to the situation further down the

was grim, as

out and down, closer to the fifth, but as

ten percent of the way into their

earth mages not to stretch themselves. If things go according

of the long line of ants, running a keen eye along the troops as

worse than we predicted,” Sumant said,

the defensive line, 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 confronted with the full scope of what they were up

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, slid down

the slime produced more of itself, spreading, pooling, growing thicker and more noxious by the hour. If nothing was done, it would creep all the way to the nest and then up through the fortress until it spilled out into the waters that surrounded the mountain. At that point, it would

wouldn’t come to that,

“Any monster sightings?”

“None, thankfully.”

“Then we can deploy.”