Chrysalis

When the mana starts to drop, it drops fast. One second I’m up to my eyeballs in the stuff, absolutely drowning in energy, the next it’s receding so quickly I feel like I’m going to get swept down a stratum if I don’t hold onto the ground.

So. That’s it? Just like that?

Hanging from the top of my tunnel, I feel relieved and a bit… disappointed? Look, I’m not asking for the Legion to come knocking on the Colony’s door every wave, but I kind of expected something. This wave has ended with a murmur rather than a roar.

Ah well, it is what it is.

I drop off the roof, stretch out a bit, clean my antennae, then walk back into the nest. Time to go find something else to do, I suppose. Back in the central command chamber, the generals are running around like mad, as always. I find Sloan right in the middle of it all.

“Hey there, Sloan. What’s happening?”

“The wave is ending,” she says, obviously distracted.

I poke her on the head with an antenna.

“Yeah… so why is everyone so busy? Shouldn’t you be winding down? Slowing your roll a little bit? The wave is over.”

She sighs and turns to face me properly.

“The wave being over means the siege has ended. It’s once again safe to venture out of the fortress and into the tunnels.”

“Right. So?”

sections of the nest as quickly as possible! If we can leave our safe places, then so can everyone

Ah.

come under attack? I hadn’t heard of any impending

Better to be prepared. If you’ll excuse me, we are in

sure you send Solant out there,” I tell her and the general pauses for a second before she nods in

practice in the field is exactly what the little general needs after this protracted defensive battle. Leaving the generals to it, I go find a nice

indulge in it, just to feel the unity of the Colony. I may be the only creature who gets to feel it like this in the entire lifetime of my family, which is a real shame. Others can see how well my siblings work

own vision, their own wants and needs, all working to better the life of the ant next to them. It’s beautiful. Truly, the

And I think I know which

enough, when I take a closer look, I find out just who has come to visit. It doesn’t take long for them to find me, either. A procession of robed priests, each with antennae rising from their hoods, make their way into the chamber before they congregate nearby. Not close enough to

story has been stolen from Royal Road. If

but thankfully don’t use any pheromones, so none of us ants are all that bothered. I decide to just ignore them, hoping

and live at this level. That’s handy. Incorporating the ant priests and human soldiers alongside our own forces will help return them to full strength, taking advantage of the

a few lives, then I’m willing to put up with a bit of

to assemble.

onto me the moment she’s in range, moulding herself onto my carapace and retracting all of her flesh until she’s about the size of a beach ball. It’s not always easy to

a sense of satisfaction radiating from each

guys reached the magic