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!

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

one here, or this one,

their own forced to kneel on the ground at sword point whilst an elaborately armoured figure reclined in a chair next to him, watching all that occurred with an expression of detached boredom. Next to

the Eldest… Who else could they possibly want?" Coolant

percent chance that they don't know that! Surely!" Sloan said.

kill another golgari for some reason, why not let them do it? One less for them to fight when

Eldest is involved, there might be some element at play that we don't understand," Sloan sighed.

was true. For whatever reason, the Eldest gobbled down trouble like a Queen taking in Biomass. The end result was something

Coolant offered. "I'll need to move a little closer, I don't think I can extend

"I'll arrange an escort."

away and had a thousand ants ready to escort the mage closer to the enemy in a matter of seconds. Coolant had

a thousand may send the wrong

"What do you mean?"

total of.." she counted quickly, "eight golgari over there. If we walk closer with a thousand, might they think they are

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

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

of the Colony,] she started off formally, [I have come to clarify exactly what it is that

communicated with each other for a

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

insult? She couldn't possibly comprehend the