Chrysalis

Is this some form of ritual suicide now?! Offering oneself up as Biomass for monsters? Or have the people decided to cast off their elderly as a sacrifice to appease the mighty ant kingdom? The older people are the most scrawny among you! If you want to offer Biomass then at least throw in some fatties!

Wait! What am I thinking...

Seeing some workers descending towards this person, ready to defend the hill, I rush down to head them off. There is something about this old woman that’s making my antennae twitch. The way she has approached, so deliberately and with her hands in the air. It’s clear that she came here to find the colony, otherwise she would have run away at the first sign of us, surely? Raising her hands in the air is the classic sign of intending no harm, though how she expects a colony of monsters to know that is beyond me.

So the question remains, what does this human want to find and approach us for? Try as I might I can’t come up with anything at all.

As she sees me approach and warn away the approaching workers she breathes a sigh of relief and her manner becomes a little excited. She was looking for me? Does she recognise me? Perhaps she saw me in the church... I don’t remember her being there but I didn’t spend a whole lot of time taking in the crowd.

Her face does seem vaguely familiar though...

When I draw near and stop the old woman also ceases her steps but keeps her hands in the air.

I stand still and watch patiently.

Taking a deep breath the lady seems to settle her nerves before she squares up to me and then ... begins speaking.

....

.......

I can’t understand you lady! Can’t you use mind magic or something!?

For several minutes the lady attempts to speak to me, earnestly pleading about something, gesturing passionately with her hands, pointing at the colony, pointing back towards the town.

...

came here to talk to a colony of monsters?! As in, just talk with your mouth?! Internally I’m shaking my head at this crazy behaviour. If I wasn’t a reborn human this

I have a way to get around

movement such that she leaps back in fear, once again thrusting her hands high

...

to eat you! Sheesh! People

at first so I repeat the gesture. The light understanding dawns on her face and she resolutely places her hands in front of her and waves them

really have any options here

little more insistently I poke the old woman with my antennae and then pat my back. When she doesn’t

gets the picture this time. I’ll keep going until she cooperates! So she may

At the last moment I remember to extend an antennae back for Crinis to grab and shift the little blob up to my head next to Vibrant, who chitters at my pet, unhappy with her space being cramped. Crinis simply waves a few tentacles around

the main shaft. Worried that the old woman will fall as we start our vertical journey I make sure to tilt my body as much as possible and extend an antennae for her to grip, two courtesies I had

the entrance to my chamber and prod the human until she climbs off and

to how this is

and sees who is inside she goes completely still with shock seemingly not believing the evidence

our new guest and clasps the old womans’ hands between her own. Having her hands gripped by her own Queen seems to overwhelm my new guest and she falls to her knees and lower hers head in

maybe people just fear royalty in general in this socially primitive

my antennae above my head to get the Queens attention I point to the old woman’s head and then at my own, repeating the gesture a few times until the Queen manages to

want you to connect this person and me with

to say she understands

What the heck....

minute before I feel the familiar and crude touch of her mind

a bridge between two individuals in this way. Connecting others is ten times as hard as connecting oneself. If you

little cautious the Queen might

story to me and translate in real time. If I believe information

used to having my honour questioned