Chrysalis

“Congratulations,” Enid smiled down on the still recovering young woman.

“Thank you mayor,” Lilin replied, radiantly happy despite what she’d just been through.

“We’re very happy,” her husband Phillip said as he stared lovingly down at his wife.

“And how has the care you’ve received been?’

“Oh, just perfect,” Lilin said.

“We couldn’t be happier, mayor. Thank you,” Phillip said.

“That’s good. After the effort we put into building this place, I’m glad it’s all come together.”

[We told you it would be fine,] the on-rotation ant-medic said. [I still don’t understand why you doubted us in the first place. When is the Colony anything but first-rate?]

[I should have believed in you,] Enid admitted, [but even I wasn’t sure how well you would be able to run a maternity ward. You don’t know anything about human reproduction.]

[Bah,] the ant groused, [our queens give birth hundreds of times every day. You think we can’t heal someone who has given birth only once? Don’t be ridiculous. Now get out of the way, I need to check the patient.]

Healers, medics and doctors always managed to be rude and ill-tempered. Even the non-human ones! In some ways, Enid took comfort knowing that this fact of life was even more universal than she’d thought.

its head just barely high enough to see over the top of the bed Lilin rested in. Even if the eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother was lightly tapped and brushed by those curious feelers as Lilin’s eyes took on that slightly glazed expression of a person engaged

they imparted a quick burst of healing mana to the

ant backed up and began to make her

fine,] she said, [the baby has been cleaned up and checked. It will

to confront just how bizarre it was that she could see a genuine Dungeon monster skittering around with a newborn in

a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn’t had time

returned to her arms. As Phillip leaned in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a touching scene, one that she would never tire of. How long had it been

leave you to it. Congratulations

she smiled at them once more before

was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived

pat at the expertly cut stone walls before she exited the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She stepped

both sides, they were the sort of roads only the wealthiest lived on in Liria. This sort of mage-work was laborious, and expensive, which made it rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal was formed this way, crafted by the carvers with exacting precision. Not only that, the layout of the town itself was a masterful stroke of planning and forward

of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to see someone waiting more than a few seconds at any particular

her destination, the citizens pleased to see her and unafraid to approach and ask whatever questions were on their minds. She welcomed it. Where not long ago these exchanges

people were thriving.

back to the council chambers in time, her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her

stiff these days, and healing magic didn’t help

a letter. It wasn’t overly long, but she carefully pondered each word, which dragged out the time. As it turned out, she finished just

debated taking the time to place it in an envelope and seal it, but decided against it. A waste of