He wasn't here for the small workers or even the aggressive guardians. He was here for the Queen.
As he pushed through, the rose. She was a nightmare of evolution: a towering, iridescent beetle with mandibles that could snap a dragon’s femur.
Descending into the hive, the light shifted from the golden glare of the sun to a sickly, phosphorescent green. The smell hit him next—damp earth, old rot, and the sharp, acidic tang of Kalphite pheromones. He moved past the lower tunnels, his footsteps muffled by the thick carpets of sand and discarded husks, until he reached the heavy, organic seal of the inner sanctum.
With a final, crushing blow, the Queen collapsed, her massive wings twitching once before falling still. Silence returned to the chamber, broken only by Kaelen's heavy breathing.