Chrysalis

The Queen looked down on her children and felt joy swell in her heart. It always did when they thronged around her, looking busy and enjoying their lives. No matter what they did, the Colony threw their whole selves into the task, as an ant should, and she took great pride in the achievements of her children.

Even if that task happened to be fighting.

The number of her children throwing themselves into the battle continued to swell, and they fought with furious efficiency. Every caste, ants of all shapes and sizes, fighting against the demons as if they were possessed of a spirit of cold, insectile rage.

She wasn't sure what had them so riled up, but it was pleasing to see nonetheless. The next time she enjoyed tea with the human, Enid, she would have to remember this moment and share it.

Another wave of healing light burst from her antennae, washing over the gathered ants, and they responded by redoubling their efforts against the surging demons.

The number of monsters that rose from the tunnels below had continued to rise all this time; it seemed that the only real limiting factor was the width of the opening they had to climb through. The size and strength of the demons was also climbing. Stronger tier six creatures emerged one after another, with even the odd tier seven mixed in. Only a constant barrage of acid and magic from the ever increasing ranks of mages and scouts kept them from barreling into the melee and cutting apart the less powerful frontline ants.

Despite the fearsome third stratum monsters gaining in strength, the fight was turning the other way. After Vibrant arrived, followed by her followers racing into the conflict, the trickle of ant reinforcements turned into a flood.

Thousands more arrived every minute, throwing themselves forward relentlessly.

"Mother, it's time to leave!" Wills called up to her.

"I won't leave while my children are fighting," she replied, stubborn to the end.

Wills flicked her antennae, exasperated.

"Your children are fighting all the time, all over the Dungeon. You can't always be there for us."

The Queen turned to focus a disapproving glare on the scout, one of her large antennae twitching, a thwacking growing more imminent.

"They are not always fighting right in front of me," she said flatly. "I will protect the members of my family who are within my reach."

"The situation isn't stable!" Wills insisted. "There's tier eight demons causing havoc down there. This whole level of the Dungeon is going crazy. It's not that it's become too dangerous for you here, it's become too dangerous for all of us! We all need to leave!"

Well, that was certainly different. The Queen knew that her children wouldn't leave until she did, so if she wanted to remove them from this danger, then she had to leave.

"Tier eight demons? Across the whole stratum? What is happening here?" she asked.

A tiny part of her was suspicious she was being misled in order to get her back to the nest. She didn't believe that Wills would lie to her, in fact, she didn't know what a lie was, but she knew that her children would go to absurd lengths to protect her, including withholding information.

"Right in the bottom of the third, some powerful demons have become active, stirring up some sort of madness. The demons who follow them are attacking everyone. The only reason these nutters are trying to kill us is because we happen to be the first things they see. If we leave, they'll fight something else and we can organise a proper defence."

The Queen processed this for a moment before she nodded.

"Very well," she said. "Organise a fighting retreat. I will withdraw along with the soldiers."

Wills wanted to try and persuade her further, since the soldiers would be the last to leave and take the brunt of the damage, but the Queen knew that already, it was precisely why she wanted to be there.

"Got it," she said instead before she turned and raced away.

"Fighting retreat!" she announced to the generals as she found them. "Form a front line of soldiers, keep the artillery firing from range, stagger the lines one hundred metres apart. I want us back at the pillar in thirty minutes."

"Got it!" they saluted and then rushed to follow the orders, organising their teams, spreading the word.

It wasn't easy to reorganise the ranks in the middle of a frenetic battle, but the ants were disciplined to the point of absurdity, and well drilled. Reform the line right in the face of the enemy? Of course! How many times?

In short order, they'd shifted their formation into a dense half circle, the Queen positioned in the centre surrounded by the strongest soldiers and generals buffing them up, a concentration of healers right behind them.

In wide lines at hundred metre intervals heading back toward the pillar, large gatherings of mages and scouts formed up, unleashing their devastating ranged firepower on the demons who continued to pour forth from the tunnels.

"Back we go!" Wills hollered. "Let's get the heck out of here."

In perfect sync, the ants began to retreat, steadily stepping backward even as the demons continued to come at them.

After five minutes, they'd made good time, getting further and further away from the hole through which their opponents had emerged. The demons continued to rush at them and the fighting was still fierce, but with every step, the Colony got closer to extricating themselves. Further reinforcements slotted into the formation seamlessly, strengthening the ant position.

Then something changed.

A burst of fire erupted in the distance, roaring a hundred metres into the air from the tunnels.

The Queen felt a wash of intense heat roll over her, drying her eyes and blowing back her antennae.

An enormous demon rose from below, burning with the fury of a thousand forges. She felt a chill as that monstrous form turned towards her, and grinned.

You want my children? Come and try it....