Chrysalis



Chomp! Chomp! Chomp!

Ah, the satisfying feeling of having my face hands clapping fools. The monsters of the fourth stratum are tough, there's no doubt about that, but these are all spawned during the wave, without enough evolutions or mutations to really threaten a highly developed monster like me.

A mass of boulders rumbles towards me, acting in harmony as if connected by some invisible force. An earth elemental?

Chomp!

I shatter it.

"Skreeeeee!"

A feathered worm bursts out of the soil in front of me.

Chomp!

Not today, worm!

A weird, dinosaur-looking thing charges at me, waggling its little arms.

Chomp! Chomp!

Needed two that time!

Fighting in the relatively narrow confines of the tunnels just feels more like home to me. Part of that is likely my ant nature, and the other is probably down to the circumstances of my birth. Fighting in tunnels was my first experience in the Dungeon, after all.

Of course, it's not efficient to bite all these monsters one by one, which is why Gandalf brought us awesome active Skills.

VOID CHOMP!

Empowered by the Altar, the bite shatters entire ranks of frothing beasts and I follow up with a scorching blast of Dragon's Breath, the hyper-potent jet of flame superheating even the rock of the tunnel wall. There's a lot of spells I haven't juiced up with the Altar to see their full effects, and this is merely one of them. Infused with the Will of the Colony, the spell is so searingly hot, and travels so far, that all that remains before me is melted slag and glowing rocks.

Neat.

I should probably cool the tunnel down? The ants aren't going to be able to advance and retake the next layer of walls at this rate, but if I pour water over it all, won't the rock crack? I don't want to cause instability and possibly collapse this section of tunnel….

I'll just leave it. Someone with a clearer head on their shoulders can make those sorts of decisions, my work here is done!

I retreat back to the defensive line, exchanging ant high-fives with the stout warriors of the Colony as I pass through. I have to be careful with those now. My antennae have become so large I can cause some real damage if I'm not careful, especially when I'm thwippy-thwapping with smaller castes, like mages.

"That should help relieve the pressure for a few minutes at least," I announce to Solant and her gang. "After you've evolved again, you lot will be able to get in there and do your thing too. The experience and Biomass you can accrue is second to none."

"I assume that's why we don't seal the tunnels and close off the nest?" Solant asks.

"That's right. Despite the danger, despite the casualties we inevitably suffer, it's worth it. The Colony has only grown as fast as it has thanks to our successful defence against, and harnessing of, the wave. How many thousands upon thousands of Biomass are being harvested in the second and third strata right now? How many cores? All of that is fed back into our growth, powering our mutations and evolutions, producing stronger ants."

She nods in understanding, but I have more to say.

"Don't forget that real combat is the fastest and most effective way to train your Skills, as well. With every wave, we supercharge the development of the family. Who could say how long it would have taken us to reach this point without them?"

I lead the little ants and my crew back to the command centre only to find a horde of reinforcements rushing down a different tunnel this time.

"I assume–?"

"Hurry up!" Victor yells.

"Calm yourself a little bit, sheesh!"

We spend the next few hours bouncing between different tunnels, helping to roll back the encroaching monsters and allowing the Colony to reclaim the outer defences.

Through it all, Solant and her broodmates watch everything like insectile hawks, especially their leader. They study everything, discussing amongst themselves as they develop ideas and strategies together. When I feel it's safe, I bring them forward and give them a taste of the fighting, along with a taste of the Biomass.

The battle down here is truly endless, as one would expect during a wave. No matter how far back I push the hordes of ravenous beasts, they return in less than ten minutes, baying for the sweet, sweet cores and food that the nest represents.

When we make our way back to the central hub this time, the activity inside is even more frenetic than usual. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that things are a whirling, manic, mess.

It's not hard to work out why, though.

"Hihi Senior! How've you been? I've been great! I've heard you're super fast now! That's amazing! Isn't it amazing to go fast?! I love going fast! It's the best. Crin-Crin! I haven't seen her in a while. Is she doing well? Why isn't she connecting a mind-bridge to me?"

Vibrant runs in circles around me, poking Crinis, who clings stubbornly to my carapace. The net result is that I am also getting poked, and I don't like it.

"Give her a second! You can't create magic as fast as you can run!"

"That'stoobad!"

"Slow it down! You actually managed to put a gap between each scent-word for a second there."

[Crinis. Please have a chat with Vibrant for a second, she's going to drive me crazy.]

[I didn't have a mind-magic construct ready, Master. I'm working on it. There, got it.]

"Wow, it's great to talk to Crin-Crin! We need to catch up more! By the by, Senior, have you been fighting down here? I've been in the third and it's been crazy! I was all whoosh, and then swoosh, and the demons were all raarrrggh. I did so much running and fighting, I'm starting to close in on tier seven!"

I stare at Vibrant as she still runs in circles around me, randomly poking as she goes.

"Weren't you going to talk to Crinis?"

"I am! I'm talking to you at the same time! Isn't it great?! :D"

Holy moly. I'd forgotten about her mutated brain, she thinks just as fast as she runs. To her, we're all talking in slow-motion. And she's still the most dedicated of all the ants to the art of scent-moji. Some things never change.