Chrysalis

I find Jim and Sarah in a place I didn't quite expect, visiting the golgari prisoners, which is an unexpected convenience for me. As I bustle onto the scene, my pets in tow, my two fellow ex-prisoners appear to be getting ready to leave.

[Hey there you two! How've you been?]

I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing humanish reactions from giant monsters. Jim is a gigantic worm, he basically doesn't have a face, you can't even see his mouth most of the time, but I can still recognise the awkward jerking motion he makes as he reacts to my voice.

Sarah, for her part, has a much more standard face. Eyes, nose, big ol’ horrifying bear maw filled with death fangs of murderising. Standard. Those huge eyes blink slowly as she looks down at me for a moment.

[Anthony? I-I didn't expect to see you here…]

[Yeah, I've been ignoring this lot for a while. Letting them stew in their own juices, as the fairly disgusting saying goes. I guess I'm not that shocked to see you here, considering how long you were… a guest of the cult. Manage to get anything out of them?]

[I'm afraid not,] she says sadly, [they don’t want to open up to me. I can't get any answers out of them about what they planned to do with me, or why. I guess I just wanted to know what made them want to turn on me.]

[Self-interest,] I shrug, [isn't it always? That's why you're better off hanging with the Colony. If you ask one of these ants if they're self-interested, they'd probably slap you in the face.]

[What about you Anthony?] Jim interrupts suddenly, his tone a little sharp, [can you make the same claim? You aren't an ant like them, after all, you were human once.]

I'm a little taken aback at these words, but I consider for a moment and do my best to answer.

[I don't think I'm particularly self-interested, or selfish. I didn't have that many wants or needs in my past life. I mean, some security would have been nice. Physical or emotional, either one, I'm not picky. Could have used some heat in the winter actually, those last few years were rough. Perhaps a few less beatings? I always wondered about that, you know? They knew I didn't have any money, so why continue the beatings? I tried asking once, but -]

[Jeez, I don't need your life story. I just want to know you won't turn on us to look after yourself like they did,] the big worm jabs his ringed tail back towards the improvised 'cell' the golgari are being kept in.

I scratch my head with an antenna.

you die,

freezes for a long

not talk

ant colony I'd raised in my room. There were so many of them, I kind of figured they'd need it more than

Anthony,] Sarah says quietly, [I think

an antenna, [all the people from Earth who wind up in this place are a little weird.

her feet and begins to plod down the corridor, her vast

she calls back,

worm is aghast. [We

feel motivated. Come

[Fine, fine.]

corner. Those two have been out hunting? Nice! I hope Sarah managed to keep herself under control. Having an insane raging doom bear stronger than myself tearing the tunnels apart would be a slight problem, to say the least. She has Jim to help

almost stumble over. It's clear the ants

eight mages placed about the place watching them like

a quick chat," I inform the

ahead, Eldest. These two don't do much. Maybe talking to

them as

a mind bridge and

would come to

you even sneer over a purely mental form of communication? Her face didn't move, but there's a definite

] I

on us? Taking us captive and placing us in your control where once you were in ours?] she seems almost

I kind of forgot you two were here.

WHAT?!] Plamine bursts out before her fellow triad member settles her down and