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.

see over the top of the bed Lilin rested in. Even if the eyes didn’t quite reach, the antennae certainly did.

as they imparted a quick burst of healing mana to

backed up and began to make

been cleaned up and checked. It

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

said cheerfully, and Enid could only assume it was a younger, less evolved healer.

her arms. As Phillip leaned in to embrace them both, Enid brushed a tear from her eye. Such a touching scene, one that she

leave you to it. Congratulations

replied and she smiled at them once more before she

could have imagined they would have their own hospital? It was less than a year ago that they had fled the ruins of their homes, and already they thrived

one hand to pat at the expertly cut stone walls before she exited the facility, doing her best to stay out of everyone’s way. She stepped out into the streets of Renewal, and finding herself in a reflective

rare, at least, rare before the catastrophe. Every street in Renewal was formed this way, crafted by the carvers with exacting precision.

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 resources were divided amongst too many people, now that desperate edge was

comfortable. In fact, the people were thriving. Renewal

time, her own office situated in the same building. She walked behind her desk and sat with a weary sigh, her old bones creaking as she took the weight

They were so stiff these days, and healing magic didn’t help

felt limber enough, she grabbed a pen and began to compose a letter. It wasn’t overly long, but she carefully pondered each

it, but decided