Chrysalis

I really hate this.

And when I say that, don’t think that I’m speaking lightly or any such thing. This isn’t one of those times when someone says they hate it when they put their socks on inside out, or they hate it when their food is a little cold.

I mean I hate this.

Currently, I sit, a sullen lump of sparkling carapace, in the centre of a vast formation of ants. There are scouts roaming and looking for threats. There are healers monitoring my condition. There are squads of soldiers and generals patrolling around the clock. There are teams of mages tunnelling beneath me and fortifying the stone.

Even the humans are in on it! I can see Beyn from where I sit, leading the gathered faithful in some sort of ceremony whilst his followers weep and point at me. Some even fall to their knees, raising their hands to the sky as if overcome with emotion.

I’m just evolving! This is what monsters are supposed to do, right?! It happens all the damn time… nothing special is going on over here.

[Do I really have to sit here and wait?] I complain for the hundredth time.

[Yes, Master,] Crinis says happily. [You aren’t allowed to move until the fortress is complete.]

I give her the evil eye, which she brushes off easily. The little murder-ball has been way too pleased by this turn of events. Having me under this absurd lock-down protocol seems to have finally relieved her of a deep-seated source of stress.

Namely, me.

She’s busy humming to herself and weaving her tentacles into fantastic shapes in order to practise her control, pleased as punch that, for once, I can’t get myself into trouble.

[What about you, Tiny?] I cast about for an ally. [You must be bored out of your brain, right? Want to break out and leave?]

My first ally on Pangera opens one eye lazily. Then he yawns.

[Sleepy,] he says, before he closes his eyes and rolls over.

[Traitor,] I grumble.

Invidia is my only hope now. The green eye blazes as he stares down at me from his position on top of Tiny.

[Give your levelssss to meeeee,] he hisses.

getting any

to maintain my dignity, I’d roll onto

out of here! Let

next batch of cores.” Protectant appears and dumps another pile on the

looked so smug as she does in that moment. It’s enough

cores before you bring them to me?” I whine. “What the heck are

even the Biomass. It’s insane, and what makes me even more exasperated is that I appear to be the only one

can’t be too careful,” Protectant smugly says, her smug face smugging up the air with

love this, don’t you?” I collapse, filled with

“I wanted to have you under this sort of protection from

for a short time, and only

I believe no such thing,” I declare wearily.

I know my own thoughts. They are determined, obsessed even, with ensuring that I evolve perfectly and safely. It’s such an overwhelming outpouring of support and love that I can’t exactly spit in their faces and say no. Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of ants rummaging through the wreckage of the termite mountain, securing and rebuilding it into

are doing everything we can to secure the most powerful cores we can find to push your energy

meantime, I just sit here, smush cores together

“Yes.”

“... Fine.”

focus, attention and effort being put on

evolution options now, just to have a sticky-beak, but I know that’s a bad idea. All the advice I’ve ever had

things in the mountain going? Any luck flushing out the last of the termites?” I ask, desperate to keep the conversation going while

enemy in the depths,” Coolant replies, an

“Something wrong?”

mage ponders for

the ka’armodo were fully cognizant of what their creations were doing,” she replies. “They tunnelled so deep, and expanded their gardens so far, that we believe they may have begun to brush against the

at her

“What?! That’s insane!”

available, it will take weeks to thoroughly

That… isn’t good.

to evolve to start the process! Despite crushing this colony, we may have spawned another three or four smaller ones that will have to be put down later on. A

going to be a pain in the abdomen,” I groan. I flick my antennae at the thousands of ants

most important priority for the Colony. It will be months before

Dammit. Well, I tried.