Chrysalis

Chapter 1057

The ant stared at them. Rillik, Elly, Drake and Lacos stared back.

A pause.

Rillik swore viciously, then began to turn the boat around, not bothering to hide his frustration.

“Let’s just kill it and get on the mountain,” Drake said. “There’s only one.”

Rillik didn’t bother answering, still openly cursing.

“There is never just one,” Lacos quoted the advice their leader had imparted earlier in the day, then he pointed over the monster.

Drake turned to see where his friend was pointing, it took a moment, but he eventually noticed several sets of antennae poking from behind trees or around the edge of a bush. It was like the ants were hidden, but not so well that they wouldn’t be found if you actually tried to find them.

The ant in front of them clacked its mandibles several times, the sharp, percussive noise ringing out in a rhythm that felt distinctly like mocking laughter.

“Ah, shut up you damn monster,” Rillik growled as he hauled on the oars.

The rest of the crew slumped in the boat.

“That’s the fourth time we’ve tried to land today,” Elly groaned. “How are they always waiting for us when we get there?”

still think we could force a landing,” Drake

his chin in one webbed

have jaws? Their jaws full dealing with

oars for a moment,

is why I never trust jobs without enough information,” he spat over the side, “and why we play it as cautious

time,” Drake said, “other groups are out there earning money and we’re just getting laughed at by an

mountain

Where is your patience? Do you have debts I don’t know about, Drake? If this is

bled out of the man, but he still simmered as

said quickly, “nothing like

Path, how many times do I need to show you the folly of rushing in blind before the message starts to sink into your thick head? Are other groups on the mountain? Yes. Are they making money? Yes. Will they all make

isn’t that a

just shook his

think for a minute, would you? You see a monster from the first stratum laughing it up on the fourth and you think you’ve found a free buffet? Don’t be daft. And look at the way they behave. I’ve taught you to analyse monsters, what do you think we are

mercenaries considered the evidence they’d gathered from a morning of trying to reach the shore without being

Elly said after a moment. “There’s a watch on the shoreline, there has to be. Except that

monstrous aggression. Baiting tactics, laying traps,

possible they

as if he were insane,

little buggers lighting up that

sat in silence for a long

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