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

reincarnated one here, or this one, a friend of

the ground at sword point whilst an elaborately armoured figure reclined in a chair next to him, watching all that occurred with an

mean the Eldest… Who else could they possibly

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

if one of the golgari wanted to kill another golgari for some reason, why not let them do it? One less for them to fight when they made a push

at play that we don't understand," Sloan sighed. "Anytime something weird happens, it's

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

reach out to them?" Coolant offered. "I'll need to move a little closer, I don't think

"I'll arrange an escort."

escort the mage closer to the

think a thousand may

"What do you mean?"

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

is too many?" Sloan rubbed the top of her head with an antennae. A thousand didn't feel like many to her. Then again, she was an ant. "I'll send

A hundred should be fine. Shortly thereafter a procession of a hundred and one ants cautiously advanced toward the golgari delegation, ready to 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

she started off formally,

communicated with each other for a

the High Blade Balta. He wishes to expunge the shame the creature has cast upon his house with

chasing the Eldest? For what? Some imagined insult? She couldn't possibly comprehend the meaning behind such actions, but she didn't let her confusion show. True