Chrysalis

The Colony has always been fascinated by the way the Class system interacts with their existence. The first new Class to come about as a direct result of the Colony was the Antmancer Class tree first unlocked by Beyn Naligic. Since that first breakthrough, there were numerous others, including the Antsistant Worker Tree, the Colony Militia Tree, and Ant Cavalry Tree.

However, by far the most mysterious was the Templar, somehow linked to the Eldest via a mechanism not fully understood. Only a select few were ever offered this Class, and it's believed that it only came about as a result of the Eldest's particular Evolutionary path, as opposed to the normal mechanisms of the System.

The Templars were in direct service to the Eldest, able to sense them wherever they were in the Dungeon. Although no ant was ever able to become a Templar, since it was a Class, which monsters cannot access, the Colony trusted them implicitly.

That was possibly an error.

- Excerpt from 'Evolutions Vs Classes. A study of the Colony' by Xinci

There are six Templars right now, one more statue having popped up in my Nave, and all of them are in attendance. They look like the training they received from the Torpor Police hasn't done them any harm. They're all looking cool, confident and in control.

I wonder what that's like?

I gesture to the three younger kids, and they step toward me, looking cool as iced cucumbers.

Welcome. Are you ready to contribute? I gesture to them.

Of course, they gesture back.

The three of them look so serious I almost want to clack my mandibles in laughter, but that would be rude. As if I'm going to throw these kids into the fight! That would be absurd. I don't care how much training they've done with the Nameless Ones, they can't be strong enough to battle down here in the fifth.

and hopefully the training they

much, and the

are here to fight alongside you, Eldest, and make our brethren in the Sanctum of Sleep proud, one

probably should have learned that arm wiggly talk," Jern

can't learn it via osmosis, like I did. Sometimes it's useful having the collective Will of the Colony flowing into me. I know

promise them, but safely. Even the

to point toward a rather innocuous shadow

children stare at it without changing their expression, but I can tell they're

as do I. But we also refuse to waste you. Such promising Nameless must not be lost uselessly.

I have to say, though, it'll be nice when they learn pheromonal language. The sign language of the Sanctum is neat and all, but at my size, it's a lot of work to move all six legs, my antennae and mandibles at the same time. Some of the poses are just straight up difficult!

some ants. Some useless, annoying

…

Nothing.

time I've been down here, don't you dare refuse to come

ant appears on top

myself where the Krath could see. We are supposed to protect

scoff. "You can't tolerate the toxic mana, so what are you going to

mana bubbles that Sarah and the Immortals are equipped

Oh… oh!