The massive door opened slowly, revealing an immense dark room with a vaulted ceiling, lit only by bluish luminescent crystals embedded in the walls. At the center of this gigantic chamber, a monstrous creature stood proudly, surrounded by a roaring horde of warrior ants.
It was the queen of the ants, immense, white, her colossal body bristling with pearly scales shimmering faintly under the strange gleam of the crystals. Her gigantic abdomen was swollen and pulsating slowly, clearly filled with gestating eggs. Its hideous head was adorned with massive mandibles that snapped violently, emitting grating, ominous sounds.
But what immediately drew the team's attention was the huge egg placed in front of them, cracked and already slowly hatching. The queen ant was visibly exultant with excitement, repeatedly snapping her mandibles with feverish intensity.
