Chrysalis

[You look happy,] Granin rumbles over our link.

[Har, har. You’re a real comedian, you know that? In fact, why don’t you take your show on the road?]

[Don’t mind him,] Corun grins, [he’s just excited.]

[It’s not often you get to see a Mythic monster born,] Torrina adds.

I’m currently splayed out on the ground, my six legs stretched flat in all directions as I lay on my underside. The boredom has finally defeated me, and now I adopt the posture of surrender, unmoving and unthinking.

You can do an awful lot of not-thinking with this many brains, let me tell you. It’s like having static in stereo.

[There’s a lot of guards here…] Corun notes as he casts his gaze across the ranks of ants positioned around me. [Is there some kind of danger?]

[Not as such,] Wills, the guide for the trio, chips in. [The Eldest tried to break out yesterday, so we had to reinforce the garrison, significantly.]

I’ll get those damn centipedes if it's the last thing I do.

[Well, we’re here now, so you won’t have to wait much longer,] Granin sighs. [Once you’ve evolved, you’ll be free to move around again, from what I understand.]

[Oh, will I?] I say. [What about the Call, huh? Won’t the Ancients have an even bigger hook in my guts once I evolve? Seems like the opposite of being free to move around, if you ask me.]

Granin spreads his hands.

[Maybe yes, maybe no. It all depends on how strong they think your potential will be. It’s not ideal, I know, but at least you can take it as a sign that your evolutions are strong.]

[I don’t care. Am I clear on this, Granin? I. Don’t. Care. Whatever your precious Ancients want, I couldn’t give a single pip of Biomass. If it gets in the way of me protecting my family, I will go down there and kick them right in the teeth.]

Man, I’m grumpy. These past few days have piled insult on top of injury. Not only have I been locked here under constant supervision while hundreds of thousands of my own siblings wait on me hand and foot, building an entire fortress just so I can evolve in it, the idiot Dungeon even went and made a diamond centipede!

them from the Dungeon until not a claw remained, I was prevented from doing so! Outrageous! Never mind the indignity of having ants pile onto me until I couldn’t move;

of betrayal cuts deeper than

mandibles. [Let’s get started. The sooner we finish our discussion, the quicker you get

That’s actually touching.

second. Mana

golgari rolls

have never even been here. We’re acclimated to the third now, but it’ll take a week of careful

until you get

already feeling sick, idiot. Now are you going to sulk or are you going

[Sorry! Consult!]

Let’s get to it

also scares me, I don’t want

talk to me about the whole “Mythic” thing you mentioned. What’s all that

right now, but after you push your core all the way,

mean I

right. And we have

might be a better term.

as you proceed up the tree. This is due to the System presuming that almost none of you will ever

[didn’t we kind of know

now. Back when you evolved to tier six, you were literally the only one to progress from worker all the way to six. We don’t mean in your colony either, we

and the results are remarkable.] Even Torrina has an uncharacteristic gleam of

Heh. A hilarious example.

I can expect something

saying,] Granin smiles, actually smiles, [is that you

that’s high praise coming from a people

we might need to revisit plans on your resets

[What? Why?]