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.”

her general. “I’m

course,” Solant nodded,

off to join the others organising the column. Solant left them to it. She needed to focus on the bigger picture, not spend her time fussing over the minor details before they set out. No matter how much she wanted

capabilities,

are

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

know sooner rather than later if 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

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

but somehow looking far beyond. “For now, that

in the column and

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

“I hope the pets

“I’m sure they will.”

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

was grim,

the defensive line held by the Colony, moving out and down, closer to the fifth, but as reports rolled

percent of the way into their journey, the column ground

earth mages not to stretch themselves. If things go according to plan, we

along the troops as she passed. Was it a trick of the light, or did they straighten when they came under

than we predicted,” Sumant said, indicating forward

went on. Now, barely a single kilometre from where they’d started, Solant

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 walls. Even the air was contaminated, dense with poisonous, acidic gases

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

“Any monster sightings?”

“None, thankfully.”

“Then we can deploy.”