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.

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

glowed brightly as they imparted

and began

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

ant. For a moment, Enid was forced to confront just how bizarre it was that she could see a genuine Dungeon monster skittering

was a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn’t had time to absorb the proper grumpiness expected of

from her eye. Such a touching scene, one that she would never tire of. How

leave you

mayor,” they replied and she smiled at

that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived as they never had

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

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

there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to

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 were a never ending series of disasters as too few resources were divided amongst too many people, now that desperate edge was

were comfortable. In fact, the people were thriving. Renewal had more

her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her old bones

so stiff these days, and healing magic didn’t help at all. It wasn’t possible to heal ageing,

pondered each word, which dragged out the

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