Chrysalis

“SHIELDS!” Advant shouted, her pheromones washing over the entire area in a mighty burst.

The two mages, thankfully, were quick to respond and a shield sprang into being around the large soldier, mere moments before the mess of vines engulfed her completely.

She lunged forward, mandibles snapping as she sheared through hundreds of the tough, living ropes, not noticeably making a dent in them.

“Need some fire?” Propellant asked, eager.

“Of course I want some damn fire! Why are you asking? Just cast it already!” Advant hollered.

An immediate burst of flame washed over her, igniting the vines and driving them back temporarily. Of course, it also set the fine hairs on her antennae on fire at the same time….

“Not me, you idiot!”

“Sorry.”

Unsurprisingly, Propellant didn’t sound all that apologetic as she watched the plant monster retreat, smothering the flames with its innumerable vines. Coolant sighed and conjured a jet of water to douse the singed soldier.

“Really now, you should be able to aim better than that, sister.”

Now dripping wet, Advant fumed silently for a moment before deciding she could no longer hold it in.

“You two have been useless since we got down here,” she sniped at the bickering mages. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d had a falling out of some sort.”

Propellant and Coolant stood awkwardly for a moment.

her head. “Fine, whatever. You’re being ridiculous. Get over yourselves and stop making mistakes, or I’ll tell the Eldest how stupid you’ve been while they were

the grace to be embarrassed just long enough for the vines to surge up the tunnel once again to snag Advant and drag her

your

creature is clearly weak to fire, you should have fended it

within its vines. You could have frozen

mad the Eldest didn’t teach you the

have a mega-ice spell for you to learn. It’s not my

great, then use it. Go help Advant without setting

“Maybe I will!”

to see

staring at each other until a bedraggled figure trudged out

both suck,” Advant ground out. “If the Eldest were here to see your incompetence, you’d be back in training before

wrong,” Coolant defended herself icily. “Propellant, on the other

I don’t want to hear it,” the soldier cut the two

smaller wounds as well, places where the vines had pierced flesh and inflicted harm. The healer grumbled to herself as she worked,

It was unusual for any members of the Colony to have a disagreement of any kind. Beyond unusual, exceedingly rare, but it did happen. Then again, two individuals with such diametrically opposed personalities were seldom asked

their argument get in the way of their task, which was not acceptable. Especially

that you can both operate at your best going forward, or we turn around and go back. I only agreed to come with so few in the team because I assumed you two would be such an asset that it didn’t matter. Not only are you not an asset, I would rather

at each other askance, antennae drooping with shame, though neither willing to

let out a frustrated puff of

we have a ton of

quite right,” Coolant said. “We are not performing

still picking chunks

that,” Propellant said. “I’ll do my best not to set you on fire. I can’t promise you won’t

the soldier replied. “The light roasting was the issue. I sincerely hope that whatever is bothering the two of you is resolved as soon as possible. For now, let’s focus on