Chrysalis

Seeing that baleful magic flickering into existence, Queen Verita's heart froze in her chest. In all her days she hadn't seen anything as horrific as this magic. The sound. The destruction. Everything it touched was simply …. Gone, smashed to nothing as if consumed by a monstrous beast.

Even though it was her foes who were about to experience this horror the Queen had pity on them, feared for them even. Who knows what gods would await them on the other side of that dreadful maw?

The little ant opened its mouth and the vortex of death howled into existence. The air inside the throne room pulled at everyone as it was sucked towards the purple ball that raced through the air to impact against the shield of an enemy soldier in an instant.

Despite the horrific shriek of the wind the soldiers didn't panic but calmly began to deploy their defensive skills. They didn't believe this little monster would be capable of casting a spell strong enough to threaten them. How many monsters had they killed on training expeditions to the Dungeon? How many towering, powerful beasts had they faced down? To retreat in the face of this little thing would be an insult to their pride.

It would be their death instead.

As soon as it touched that shield the dark purple, almost black ball expanded outwards in an instant and the soldiers near the impact point vanished entirely. Those close to the edges had a split second in which their faces twisted with fear and shock before they too were pulled into the ball. Horror overtook every soldier in the room as the wind rose in pitch once again to a deafening howl. Soldiers tried to flee, tried to pull their comrades away from that sphere of death but they could not resist it and nothing would sate it.

Even the ant who cast the spell backed away slightly before becoming still and watching its creation consume the enemy. The Queen could only stare at the grisly spectacle before her. Seeing this magic employed against a gate was one thing, seeing it make proud, trained soldiers vanish in an instant was another. Fear gripped her. What level of mage would be required to defend against something like this?

It felt like a lifetime but it was only a few seconds before the sphere vanished. A tight, dense ball of … something …. The Queen refused to think on it … dropped to the ground with a wet THUNK and rolled several times before coming to a stop.

Even the floor had not been spared, the lower half of the spell had carved a groove out of it, the stone slabs were simply… gone. Carved away so precisely it could have been the work of god.

Before the shocked and demoralised soldiers could recover the monster was already acting again. The spherical, purple domain flickered and expanded outwards as the monster charged forward into the remaining soldiers.

Queen Verita had seen this spell before, the powerful domain type spell that had brought the enemy to their knees. What was this purple mana? What type of magic is this? She'd never heard of anything like it, capable of flinging people up into the air or crushing them flat into the ground.

It's hard to imagine that a monster, and one apparently quite young, could comprehend magic in the way this creature had. To cast the various types of spells in the same way that a human mage would take years to learn, it was terrifying.

Exactly how strong would this single ant become? Queen Verita narrowed her eyes. She didn't think she wanted to find out…

No longer complacent the soldiers wanted no part of this spell! Their morale was shattered and fear was plastered over their faces as they fled. The proud soldiers of Regix broke ranks and fled before one ant! If the Queen hadn't seen it herself she would have felt she had lost her mind. Even though she witnessed the events she almost couldn't believe them.

The monster was relentless chasing them down no matter how they fled. Verita knew, as soon as the spell took effect they would no longer be able to run, only slaughter would await them. Though there was no visible change the moment the spell began to function everyone watching could see it. The bodies of the soldiers sagged to the ground as if pressed down by a mountain. Those who were still able to keep their feet did so only by exerting extreme effort, their faces going red with the strain. The soldiers eyes were wild and filled with terror. What could possibly have prepared them for this?

There was no way they could resist what was to come.

The Queen snapped back to alertness and turned to her stunned Guards.

"Aim your strikes at the enemy but do not close the distance! Be sure to stay the hell out of that spell!" she ordered.

Loyal and disciplined her Royal Guard leapt into action, their weapons raining strike after strike down on the trapped foes and those who continued to run, desperate to avoid becoming sealed in that zone.

The townspeople watched the spectacle unfold with rapt amazement, their eyes afire with deep emotions. They could not participate as none had mastered the advanced weapon skill required to strike from a distance. But they could watch and silently praise.

As she watched her force become battered by wave after wave a sword light Corrin's expression grew ugly. She could not believe her eyes. How could one piss weak ant, legendary for being the weakest individual monster in the Dungeon, be devastating the highly trained soldiers she had brought with such efforts. How long had it taken her to weave this plot together? The months of preparation, the incredible effort needed to talk Regix into getting of their fat arses. It was disappearing before her eyes!

She turned to the Regix ambassador. "What the hell is happening Andron?" she raged at him, "your soldiers are worthless! Didn't you promise me the best?!"

The ambassador was pale faced and shaking. He was a diplomat, not a warrior! He had never seen such bloodshed and violence. Watching his soldiers being torn apart had rocked his mind, he could barely think, let alone speak. As she watched the trembling Regixian struggle to speak Corrin nearly screamed in frustration.

It had been so perfect! She had been so close! Wealth! A stupid amount of wealth! She could feel it all slipping from her grasp in this moment and the feeling drove her berserk. If it wasn't for that stupid monster! She had played the Queen like a damn fiddle but this idiotic monster had ruined everything!

Suddenly her heart froze in her chest. Dread swept over her like a cold blanket and sweat erupted from her forehead. Turning slowly she looked down at the monster to find it looking directly back at her. The smooth dark glittering carapace, the cold lidless eyes and the dripping jaws that glowed fiercely with purple light. No emotion or feeling emanated from that creature. In Corrin's eyes it was nothing less than an emotionless machine of death.

Corrin's mind turned slowly as if her thoughts drifted through molasses. When had those mandibles begun to glow?

The mandibles flared with light and she flinched backwards, but it was no use.

How to describe it?

The floor simply wasn't the floor anymore. Her feet slid along the ground as if it were suddenly a wall and she fell directly towards the monster. A scream rose and stuck in her throat as fear paralysed her mind. The only thing she could see was those mandibles as everything faded away. They grew larger and larger in her eyes as they opened wide.

Then they closed, and she knew no more.