Chrysalis

The moment this Wallace guy revealed the locations of the gates, the Colony sprang into action. I could hear orders being snapped out as ants began to gather in teams, flooding away towards the fort on the outskirts of the city. Even my heart skipped a beat. This could be a major blunder! We'd anticipated the gates would be here, in the centre, and so they were, but we didn't foresee that there'd be more around the edge of the city! Almost all our forces are concentrated here for the final push! If those gates open and those Legion nutters come pouring out…

"One of us should go," I tell Mother, "those Legion soldiers are no joke, as I recall."

Though I was super weak back then. I have no idea what their relative strength would be now, realistically.

"Which of us should it be?" she asks me. "I'm willing to go where I'm most needed."

I hesitate. I need to stay here to help communicate, but I'm worried that the fort will prove to be the more dangerous of the options.

"Go to the fort," I tell her reluctantly, "as soon as I'm done here, I'll head up there as well, just in case. Make sure you take a few members of the council up there with you. If it turns serious, we'd rather have more firepower than we need than not enough."

The Queen's antennae twitch.

"What about you, child? Will you be alright here?"

I suspect she thinks I'm taking on too much here.

"Not to worry," I assure her, "I alone would be enough."

marching into the distance as I focus back onto the idiot priest

dismantle that gate as soon as

I'll be able to make it over to that fort in the event something nasty starts up over there. I think Beyn can

the next two minutes or we'll be charging

within the wall. The people

than celebratory, but I can understand what the captain is worried about. If a riot breaks out inside, where I imagine people are densely packed, then the potential

then they become another obstacle that we'll overcome. Those gates are coming down.

he looks as if he's about to laugh before he turns back toward the walls. We give him a single minute

is unbearable. The Colony and I stand around, impatient

you really think they'll let us in?" Advant

they know what's

our brains? Something to chew over later. Just to be careful, I task my sub-brains with whipping up another construct and preparing some gravity magic. Not the bomb, that might be a little overkill, but the domain will help keep me safe if the crowd

monsters that they find in their

toward Beyn and his robed followers. Nice save, crazy people! Taking all the heat for us! I appreciate your sacrifice. Several large buildings loom within the square but the Captain wastes no time (for once) and directs us to the largest. Even though the centre of the

dormant. Enchantments and runes built into the gates appear to be collecting mana and storing it, which leads me

with clean bites so it can be reassembled and studied back at the nest. Mission accomplished; we turn to exit the square as quickly as possible. I don't want to expose my family to danger

that's when

crowd, screwed up in

all this, it's common sense for someone

of my family who lack my level of understanding, young and foolish creatures that