Chrysalis

[Yes, you] I snap.

Enid immediately stumbles forward until she reaches the side of the still sonorously praising one-armed priest.

I see her concentrate and then her voice appears in my mind.

[Wouldn't it be more appropriate to communicate with this man?] she indicates the priest, [it was he who led our people to this place].

This priest?! How the heck did he find me?! Does he have some sort of tracking device on me or something?! More likely he was able to follow our trail somehow but the bottom line remains, what the heck are these people here for? They certainly don't look as they've come to fight, judging by the number of women and children in the crowd, not to mention the sheer lack of arms.

[I will speak to you since I have had dealings with you before. Make it clear to the others I am speaking to you].

I don't want to talk to that guy. He makes me a nervous.

Enid take a moment to gingerly touch the priest on the shoulder and indicate that I am communicating with her using mind magic. Rather than disappointed, the priests face is overcome with enlightenment and he bows low before me, head nearly touching the ground, before he backs away to speak animatedly to the crowd. Nothing phases this guy…

[Enid. Tell me why these people have followed my family here to the wild lands]

been destroyed. After you vanished following the assault on the castle things settled down at first. Many of the villagers wanted to know where you went but we weren't told anything. Things were calm for a week

shivers then, her recollections are apparently

mind once more. [Then the capital caught fire. We could hear the roaring of beasts from our houses and flames reached the so high it was sky was burning. We were terrified, nobody knew what to do. Then monsters burst out of the Dungeon and into the church, dozens of them. Some of

good at reading human expressions as perhaps I was before but

Only thanks to Father Beyn did we survive. He rallied the survivors and organised a retreat. We ran from the town with nothing but what we could carry on our backs or throw onto a few carts. With the capital burning we had nowhere

word of the colony's passage as we travelled. Father Beyn believed that perhaps you would be

the eye I can see she doesn't hold much hope. Having interacted with me directly and taken part in the

can ask. If you aren't willing then you may as well

the Dungeon in short order, I need to prepare myself before the future generation of ant workers is born! This

camp at least one kilometre in that direction] I point with my antennae in front of the shocked woman, [tell Beyn I want him to get them settled make sure they don't interfere with the workers or approach

faces. With a little more energy and spring

it and sits. I have no idea how she managed the journey at her age, trudging by foot over such a large

has happened Enid? Tell me what you

know much. I think the monsters have invaded the surface. The capital got the worst of it, I can't imagine any other reason

walls. It isn't hard to imagine the chaos that

me a lot about his work. It isn't normal for monsters to approach the surface

no doubt about that. To me, strange stuff has been happening ever since I arrived here, so I'm not too fussed

Garralosh Infants? Why bring them up in