Chrysalis

Anger boils inside me at the thought that these moronic Shapers would dare to kill my siblings! Outrageous! They've nobody to blame for their current circumstances but themselves, I've no pity for them at all. My attitude toward the Golgari is hardening at a frightening pace. If I hadn't had such positive experiences with Granin and his triad then there's a possibility that none of the Shapers would have made it out of this assault alive. I suppose that's a dark thought, but these people are messing with my family! That's not something I can allow anymore.

[Crinis, do you think you could jump through to the Shadows in the next room?]

[I'll need a distraction. They'll be on the lookout for a tactic like that.]

[Not a problem. I can give you all the distraction you'll need. Keep your senses open and wait for your chance.]

[Right, Master!]

…

[That means you need to climb off me and move to the side.]

[… No it doesn't.]

[Yes, it does! What's the point of me drawing their fire and creating a distraction if YOU are the one being hit?!]

[But…]

[No buts! Get your nightmarish gloop over in that corner and wait for a chance!]

out of sight in a corner where she huddles pitifully,

this brief moment of freedom whilst it lasts. Troublesome pet dealt with, I approach the fire zone at the end of the corridor, an area covered in ants clinging to any piece of cover they can find and blasting acid

I

peace. They're the only ones who can talk to these

Makes sense.

negotiations been attempted here?" I

fire the second they saw

Hmmph.

got what they deserved for it, don't

"Yes, Eldest!"

ice and other more esoteric magics that detonate, shatter and otherwise peter out against the rubble without finding a target. In the next moment the ants step from cover or raise their abdomens to unleash their

POW! POW! POW! POW!

back down again in

POW! POW! POW!

definitely a magical shield of some sort. The Shapers, who'd been preparing to return fire, are shocked to see their precious shield begin to bubble and steam as my acid begins to eat into it. I follow up with a solid blast of flamethrower magic as

they could be harmed by magic on this level, but I'm hoping it prevents them from seeing me coming. Flames belching out from between my mandibles, I race down the corridor like a freight train, but

BOOM! THUD!

to fly through the flames in the other direction, slamming into my carapace with impressive force. The best I can do to protect my eyes is lower my rear legs as I run, creating an angle to protect the top of my head, but the damage adds up. It's not as if they can miss me after all. I'm a giant ant-fish in

SHING!

deep in my carapace. Ouch! Someone put a huge amount of mana into that thing! But it's only enough to slow me down for a second. The corridor is only