Chrysalis

Coolant looked out from her perch next to the upper sally port of the great gate and felt nothing but confusion.

"Do you want to go tell him, or should I?" she said to Sloan who was clinging to the wall next to her.

The general shook her head, bewildered.

"I mean. They have to know, right? There's no chance that they don't know."

"I assume they know. I mean, what are the odds the two forces aren't communicating to this extent?"

"Almost none, surely. Such a lack of organisation in our foes would throw our plans way out."

"Hasn't this thrown them way out anyway?"

Sloan hesitated.

"That's… true."

The two of them looked out in silence for a few more moments at the totally unexpected scene before them.

"What do you think we should do?" Coolant asked, her scent as calm and unruffled as it always was.

"I don't know!" Sloan fretted. Why would these idiots perform this sort of moronic action now of all times? It didn't make any sense!

washed out over them, rippling through the ambient mana in the air and into their

here, or this one, a friend

figure reclined in a chair next to him, watching all that occurred with an expression of detached boredom. Next to them a trio of mages worked

have to mean the Eldest… Who else could they possibly want?"

idea, but the Eldest isn't here. There is almost a zero percent chance that they don't know

golgari for some reason, why not let them do it? One

the Eldest is involved, there might be some element at play that we don't understand," Sloan sighed. "Anytime something weird happens, it's usually to do with the

trouble like a Queen taking

want me to reach out to them?" Coolant offered. "I'll need to move a little closer, I don't think I can extend a mind bridge

"I'll arrange an escort."

mage closer to the enemy in a matter of

a thousand may send the

"What do you mean?"

If

many?" Sloan rubbed the top of her head with an antennae. A thousand didn't feel like many to her.

flee at a moment's notice. Sloan had considered things carefully and the delegation contained a healthy mix of mages, for raising shields, scouts, for detecting foul play, and soldiers, to hold the line in the event the others needed to retreat. Once they had covered half the ground toward the first gate, they very obviously stopped and parked themselves for a moment. Acting with great caution, Coolant wove together a mind bridge and extended it

greet you on behalf of the Colony,] she started off formally, [I have come to

all communicated with each other for a long moment before a

you to bring them here so that they may duel the High Blade Balta. He wishes to expunge the shame the creature has cast upon

here chasing the Eldest? For what? Some imagined insult? She couldn't possibly comprehend the meaning behind such actions, but she