In the back of my mind I worry that the king chubster himself, Grokus, might have seized the hatchling the moment she slipped away from us, to use as leverage, or just to eat, who knows? But from what I can tell, the trail leading to the little runaway doesn't lead back to the column in the centre of the plate, in fact, it seems as though it’s looping around the outside.

Stupid hatchling! You just wanted to go sightseeing that badly?! When I catch you, I'll dangle you over the edge for a week! See if that doesn't fulfill your need for a good view!

[Master! Do you sense her?] Crinis asks.

[I do! But the trail is weak. Can you see anything?]

[Her mana signature is so weak,] she frets, [it's almost impossible to find her when we're surrounded with so many tier six monsters.]

That's something else to remember, even if they didn't all evolve perfectly, each and every single monster around here is the same tier as us. If all of these demons decided to fight us at the same time… it wouldn't be pretty.

[This way!] I cry as the sense from my vestibule veers sharply one way.

[No! She's looping back! This way!]

A hard turn brings us smack into the middle of a pack of demons coming in the other direction, a variety of shapes and forms, all grotesque and deadly in their own fashion.

[Move it!] I bellow.

CHARGE!

The light of stamina explodes around me as I activate the Skill, sending the pack of monsters scattering like bowling pins. Thankfully they were all the more slender types of demons otherwise it might have been like headbutting a brick wall. Tiny bellows once more, the rock reverberating with his battle cry as he slams his way forward, both fists pounding into the stone. The ruckus we cause is undeniable and immediately there are answering roars and screeches and the demons react to the cacophony. The unfortunate individuals who got to see my incredible diamond carapace far more closely than they might have liked, scramble to their feet/claws/limbs and immediately give chase, shrieking in rage as we run.

Dammit! This level of attention is the last thing we need… Maybe we can lose them.

[Quick! Take a hard left, we'll try to lose them around that corner!]

Stretching the strength of my claws to the limit, I divert my non-inconsiderable weight around a hairpin turn, dashing into an alleyway between two teetering buildings. A difficult manoeuvre that has strained my legs, but with any luck we've managed to break line of sight between us and our pursuers. Now quickly! Onto the trail of the hatchling!

BOOM!

Aaaand Tiny couldn't turn in time and has ploughed straight into the building on the left… that's perfect. Driven even further into his rage by the offending structure, the giant ape lashes out, his powerful arms smashing any remaining wall within reach and turning the stonework into dust.

[Enough with the wall! Come on!] I urge him and he shakes off the bricks and bounds to his feet, leaving a new collection of enraged demons in his wake.

Naturally, with their howling and slashing at the air, they make a perfect spotlight for the first pack of demons, who quickly follow after us. Just… perfect.

[I thought you were supposed to have the fanciest feet?!] I yell at Tiny but he's too far lost in his rage to hear me.

Perhaps losing track of Brilliant, who he'd been so protective of has really tipped him over the edge. Which could be a problem… nothing I can do about it now though. Recapturing the hatchling is all that matters now! How many tens of thousands of new ants have been born between Vibrant and Brilliant! She might be a handful, and a massive pain in the abdomen, but Vibrant is one of the strongest and most dedicated ants in the entire Colony, with her own high-levelled army to help her protect our family. If Brilliant is even half as capable when she's done evolving and developing her Skills then she'll be an incredible asset to the Colony. An irreplaceable part of the collective that will help uplift all of us!

Most importantly, without capable and selfless champions, how is the Colony ever going to develop to the point that they aren't dependent on me to protect them?! They need to be able to stand on their own six legs! I can't guarantee that I'll be around to help pull the carapace out of the fire every time!

Although an argument could be made that I'm the one who puts the carapace in the fire most of the time. Actually, to take that a step further, aren't I throwing myself into trouble and the Colony is the one pulling me out of it? Isn't that carapace in the fire in fact… me?

Ahhh! Worry about it another time! Get. That. Hatchling!

If there's no point trying to hide anymore then who cares about these alleys and gaps? I'm an ant, dammit! I'm going over the top! As I speed toward another building, instead of going around it I simply raise my front legs up and dig in with my claws, racing up the side of the wall and over the top.

BOOM!

Tiny of course doesn't realise what I've done and just runs straight into the building, leaving an ape shaped hole in the wall. Worry about it later! The sound of demonic shrieking and blades striking flesh rings out from below me as I continue running, followed by Tiny's bellow and the harsh impacts of fists striking home with tremendous force. Next thing, two demons are thrown out the side of the building with tremendous force, smashing into a neighbouring building and smashing that wall in for good measure. A chorus of growls and shrieks ensue.

Wonderful.

When I get my mandibles on that hatchling….

There she is! From my position on the top of the building, a faint wisp of energy trickles into the vestibule, snapping my attention around just in time for my antennae to catch a whiff of the little ant. With one dashing leap I throw myself across a gap and onto a nearby building where, looking down into the alley, I see a suddenly cowering Brilliant looking up at me.

"Fooouunnnnd youuuuuu!" I rasp.

"S-Senior!" she stammers, "f-f-f-fancy s-seeing you here!"

"How dare you run away! In this city of all places! You'll pay, little hatchling! You'll pay dearly!"

The little ant draws herself up, suddenly bold and yells back at me.

"I held it in for so long! So long! You expect me to resist it forever?! I WON'T, I WON'T, I WON'T! I have to knooooooow!"

So screaming, she dashes off, around the corner and out of sight in a flash. Think you can get away now?! When I have your scent?! You're a hundred million years too early to escape from me! In a flash, I'm off, all six legs moving so quickly they blur. I have her now, it's time to secure the capture.

[Crinis! Deploy!]

[With pleasure, master!] the black void attached to my carapace declares.

As I run, her tentacles emerge, latching onto the building around us so she can lift her body from my back. In seconds a writhing forest of thin tentacles is moving across the rooftops with me as we follow close in the footsteps of Brilliant.

"No escape, Brilliant! I'll get you, no matter what!"