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.

Even if the eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did. The recovering mother

moments, the antennae glowed brightly as they imparted a quick burst of healing mana to

and began to make her way out

has been cleaned up

nestled in the mandibles of another healer ant. For a moment, Enid was forced to confront just how bizarre it was that she could see a genuine Dungeon monster skittering around with a newborn in its grip and feel absolutely

and Enid could only assume it was a younger, less evolved healer. She hadn’t had

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

will leave you to it.

they replied and she smiled at them

would have their own hospital? It was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their

of everyone’s way. She stepped out into the streets of Renewal, and finding herself in a reflective

laborious, and expensive, which made it rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal

council could take some credit for that, but even there, the influence of the Colony was felt. Traffic flowed so smoothly, it was rare to see someone waiting more than a few seconds at any

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

people were thriving. Renewal had more than delivered upon its

found her way 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 old

these days, and healing magic

began to compose 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 before the meeting

it, but decided against it. A waste