The ants surrounding the fleshy cocoon outside witness a devastating sight: their princess was devoured. Without hesitation, Elchi charges forward, determined to rescue their stolen princess. As Elchi tears away at the flesh, two radiant wings sprout from the cocoon. They peacefully greet the air before violently descending upon the earth. This action catapults a creature upwards, as the cocoon is dragged behind by thin tendrils. Hovering in the air is a ghastly creature, its bones barely covered by deflated muscles. Across its body, countless eyes shoot open, and powerful slashing limbs sprout from its back. From afar, this standoff is being witnessed by two round eyes hanging, hiding amidst the moss covering the cave's ceiling.
"M-Monri, what are you…" Chirps the captive princess Ari. She then realises her mistake and starts translating into pheromones.
"CALAMITY" booms a loud chirp from right beneath her. Casting her gaze downwards, Ari is shocked at the response.
"Monri- wait, no, Calamity. You, you can chirp?" nervously chirps Ari, overwhelmed by the situation. In place of a proper response comes a shock wave, temporarily blinding Ari's senses. Wincing from the shock, Ari attempts to regain herself. Her vision slowly reappears, and she notices something strange. "W-what is that grey... box?" she questions as her hearing begins returning. In the top left corner of her vision, she sees foreign symbols but somehow understands them. Focusing harder, she sees 'Lv 1 Ari', under which a yellow bar is half full. Below that are the words 'Lv 0 Calamity' above a red bar that is almost empty. Ari understands these bars to represent health. Looking around, she realises they're flying and suddenly becomes scared. "Mo-Calamity! C-can we go down now? It's scary being so high up and moth- her Majesty told me no flying!" frantically chirps Ari while clenching her eyes.
Soft laughter fills the tunnels as Ari waits before the Queen.
"Ari, it seems you already got into quite some trouble before Elchi met you. While you are to be Queen, there is no need to throw yourself into trouble; take your time growing. I will provide everything you need and plenty of surprises, so enjoy hunting with your monster," chirps the Queen, barely holding back a chuckle. Ari feels highly embarrassed but then remembers something important. She wants to inform the Queen, but is interrupted by her, saying she already knows. With a playful shooing, she is dismissed but only hears one set of footsteps.
"Elchi, aren't you coming?" Ari questions, confused by Elchi's stillness.
The Queen responds, "Ari, Defiants remain hidden unless there is an emergency. They draw too much attention; I don't want our colony to be discovered. Ah, I forgot to mention, don't draw too much attention while out."
"Understood, Your Majesty, I… I will try by besht," chirps Ari nervously before leaving the nest.
"That daughter of mine is unique, isn't she. Despite becoming royalty, she is still always so nervous," chirps the Queen while laughing softly.
"Your Majesty, are you certain it's safe to leave her with that… monster?" questions Elchi in a respectful tone. Her red eyes stare intently at the Queen, harbouring the slightest hint of doubt.
"Elchi, how rare of you to question me. You needn't worry about her safety; I've dispatched several generals to shadow her. As for you, you're exempt from normal duties, right?" questions the Queen, receiving an affirmative nod. "Then, you'll help me prepare a special surprise for when those two return, do lead me to the colonies' graveyard," finishes the Queen, earning Elchi's shock.
"Why the graveyard, your majes-" chirps Elchi, quickly understanding the Queen has finished saying her piece. Her question unanswered, Elchi can do nothing but head for the graveyard.
Ari soars above the land atop Calamity, watching the shadow the pair cast upon the ground. Her time in the air wasn't all relaxing; the guilt of ignoring her mother's message weighed heavily. Her antenna vibrates as she receives a request for aid.
"Calamity! Another group needs help, let's go. A-also, can you leave one enemy alive? I-I want to try fighting." Calamity glides towards the pheromones, finding a group of ants caught between two territorial field spiders. Its ghastly muscles begin to grow with life, causing the monster to plummet towards the earth. Left in the air was Ari, who instantly freaked out and began screaming.
"Calamity, come back! Don't leave me f-falling... I don't know how to fly yet!" screams Ari in a panic. As the ground approaches, she realises something, falling is a lot slower than she had dreamt. It was then she looked up and realised. Calamity had given her a web parachute to make her fall safely. Calmer than before, she looks down to see a field spider squished under Calamity. Finally landing on the ground, she stares angrily at Calamity, fully forgetting what lurks behind her.
Ari fumes at Calamity, deciding to walk over and admonish the monster's actions. She opens her mandibles to rant when one of Calamity's slashers zooms for her.
"Huh, wait, why is Calamity?" thinks Ari as she watches it barely avoid and go beyond her. A snap echoes out of sight. Ari slowly looks around and sees the other field spider, clashing with Calamity.
"FIGHT," loudly chirps Calamity, reminding the ant of her request.
"S-sorry, I forgot. I'm ready now!" shamefully chirps Ari before preparing to fight. Her response causes the slasher to wither, a warning of what is about to occur.
The slasher crumbles away, allowing the field spider's blow to fall. Still clumsy in her new body, this princess only thinks of one thing. Slamming her head down, which, to her utter confusion, works. Ari doesn't block the next attack, but as it bounces off her exoskeleton, her confusion skyrockets. Perplexed by the situation, she turns to Calamity for advice, ignoring the spider.
"CRUSH!" sternly booms Calamity, not giving Ari the chance to ignore the fight. Taking the advice to heart, she rushes forward and uses her leg to slam the spider. As the spider's insides become outsides, she stares at her leg in amazement.
"Level 6 Field Spider Defeated. 6 experience obtained," whispers a mysterious voice inside Ari's head.
Soaring atop Calamity once again, Ari is stuck in thought.
"What was that voice?" she wonders, attempting to figure out the meaning behind the message. She questions if the voice was real, when suddenly she hears.
"Level 7 Imitator Sparrow Defeated. 16 Experience obtained," in her head as Calamity kills another bird. Ari realises the voice whispers whenever she or Calamity kill something, but she doesn't know why it has only just started.
"What is this experience? I've gotten it three times, yet nothing changes," ponders Ari as she begins to ascend. "Don't you need to eat that?" she questions, receiving a booming NO from a freshly mutated pair of mandibles. Ari notices the ceiling has begun losing its light, so she requests to go home. Faithfully responding to her desire, Calamity flies for the great forest where their colony's entrance hides.
Dust is sent flying as Calamity's beautiful wings approach the ground. Waiting at the entrance was Elchi, instantly filling Ari with guilt. She forgot to hide the fact that they were flying.
"Your highness, while I am disappointed, that can wait. Her majesty would like to see you. Follow me," sharply chirps Elchi, waiting for no response. Left with no choice but to follow, Ari travels to the Queen's chambers. "Your highness, please enter. The Queen has instructed your monster to come with me," she chirps, but Calamity kept following Ari.
"Calamity, listen to Elchi, please," chirps Ari after hearing Calamity's footsteps behind her. Obeying the order, Calamity stops instantly and goes to follow Elchi instead. Ari has a nervous shake before crossing the threshold to meet with her Majesty.
"Ari, did you enjoy your disruptive day outside?" asks the Queen, holding back her disappointment as her only rule was broken. With a guilty nod, Ari agrees as she tries to find something to say. "Having experienced a day outside in your new body, do you have any questions?" chirps the Queen, worried about her daughter.
Shocked by the shift in tone, Ari replies, "N-no, your Majesty. Wait, no, that's not right. Something weird happened; a shock ran through my head. Ever since I saw strange things and heard voices…" Queen Aritsu's expression appears truly confused as she racks her brain. Unable to quite find the answer she wants, the Queen decides to educate Ari till she drops. This singular meeting stretches on for hours. Ari's understanding of the world completely shatters, and her awkward stutter disappears for good.
"Princess, do exercise caution, or you may be injured," requests Elchi as she decapitates a big rat.
Shrugging off the issue, Ari chirps, "It's just a big rat, they can't even scratch me now, right?" Elchi's face is visibly disappointed with this arrogant answer. "Why are you here, Elchi? I thought you couldn't leave unless there is an emergency," inquires Ari, confused why Elchi has replaced Calamity.
"The Queen rightly judged sending you with Calamity is an emergency. You've grown complacent due to its influence, worse than a worker," scolds Elchi, making Ari realise what she's done. "At least you realise your shortcomings. Imagine what would happen if something killed you because of arrogance," says Elchi, reinforcing the lesson she seeks to teach. The pair's antenna vibrates, signalling another group in danger.
"Ari, are you up to saving this group alone? Without anyone there to babysit?" questions Elchi, her question answered by Ari's determined advance towards the pheromone signal.
A hopeless, yet common struggle between a group of ants and a bird happens once again. The ants struggle to survive the merciless trap while the bird enjoys its meal. The last surviving worker looks on in horror, the beak of death coming for her. In place of eternal slumber, the ant hears a pained tweet. Her body is covered in warm crimson; the sparrow backs away fearfully.
"Everything will be fine now," comes a soothing chirp which slowly fades away. The worker watches in awe as the princess fights; she deflects every death-bringing peck. Her elegant slashes cause the bird's wings to limp and its talons to crack.
As the sparrow falls before her, Ari thinks, "I can't depend on Calamity to protect me. I'll try my best; I'll use all the advice I'm given, even something as simple as crushing," before smashing the bird's head in.
"Level 11 Imitator Sparrow Defeated. 20 experience obtained," echoes the mysterious voice. Ari starts for the worker to comfort her, when the powerful screech of a defiant ring out.
Elchi's screech rings out, stunning those who hear it, especially the unprepared Ari. Once she recovers, she looks at Elchi. The defiant has grown exponentially and is fighting a creature Ari has never seen or heard of. This creature flaps wings covered in black skin; its forehead hosts a strange, glowing pattern. It swoops down and clashes with Elchi's legs by using its powerful claws. Blood drizzles from the defiant as the battle rages on. Ari realises the danger she is in but does nothing to save anyone. This hesitancy, this slothful attitude, allows the bat to stun Elchi with its own shriek. In that opening, Elchi's hind legs are clawed at and fall to the ground. Without a stable footing, Elchi begins taking repeated blows, failing to defend herself.
"ARI! Don't just stand there like a newborn worker. You were a soldier! Whether you run away or fight, decide before it's too late," roars Elchi while being attacked, freeing Ari from her hesitant state.
Freed from her hesitation, Ari decides to help. Rushing forward, she recalls the tactics she learnt as a soldier, and a power the Queen explained to her.
"Elchi! I'll fight, so let's do this together. I'm scared, but I'll give it my all!" chirps Ari with all her soul, causing her skill 'Motivate Lv. 2' to activate. This, in turn, temporarily enhances Elchi's abilities, allowing her to fight once again. The pair get within range, causing their species skill 'Ant Spirit' to activate. Ari slams into the bat, preventing it from landing a blow on Elchi. The pair proceed to work together, covering for each other's weaknesses. When Elchi catches the bat's leg, Ari seizes the opportunity to break it. This causes the bat to scream out in pain. Breaking from Elchi's grasp, it stirs up a large dust cloud, blinding the ants. When the cloud cleared, the bat was gone. Elchi suggests returning to the nest, believing herself insufficient protection with her missing legs.