Chrysalis

Before we departed our strange conveyance, Emilia handed each of us a small bracelet and urged us to put it on.

My escorts eyed the metal rather suspiciously, it was clearly enchanted, I could see the core set in the ornament with my own eyes. I couldn’t help but look upon their reluctance with a slight amount of exasperation, dear readers. Only a slight amount! The two gentlemen, Arryn and Potamus, had done their job wonderfully well over the trip, but I had begun to wonder if being surrounded by monsters all the time was starting to send their danger-sense a little haywire.

If the ants wanted to harm us, they could do it anytime! We were surrounded by millions of them, constantly.

With a warm smile, I accepted my bracelet with grace and decorum, as one always should! Slipping it around my wrist, I felt the enchantment take effect the instant the clasp snapped shut.

“Oh, that is wonderful!”

“The Colony offers these free to visitors. I collected them from the rack on the wall just through the door.”

“Well isn’t that wondrous? Stop being rude, you two, put them on immediately!”

Arryn and Potamus eyed the slip of metal one more time before they shrugged and both placed them around their wrists.

“The third stratum isn’t known to be comfortable for visitors, so the Colony created a number of these to help take the edge off. It won’t keep you cool completely, but it will significantly impact the heat, as well as help purify the air you breathe.”

Now, it’s no secret that I like my creature comforts, reader, don’t we all? I’ve worn several items with similar enchantments before, they are positively necessary to survival in some parts of the Dungeon, so I have seen such as these many times before.

What I haven’t seen, is such expensive materials given away for free! It’s complex enchanting and smithing to make things like this. I paid more than a pretty penny for my items!

they aren’t being given to you,” Emilia seemed to notice my complicated feelings, “they are simply a loan. You can return them when you leave the third at a collection station on the

How lovely!

station, we found ourselves looking down across the incredible vista that is the third

awe and appreciation. Never be

we were guided to another platform, this one formed of pure energy, which we used to descend

the very first conquered by the Colony when they came to this stratum. You can see over there,” she gestured with one hand, “the statue built to commemorate the victory of the Eldest over the demon lord who ruled

been a kilometre tall! A gigantic, majestic ant was carved on the pillar itself, posed above the city, looking down

to carve

didn’t. The bulk of the stone is created magically, though I’m told it is somehow

An impressive feat nonetheless.

One, actually look like that? Would you say this is a

was just something about the way the enormous sculpture appeared. A certain debonair, a certain suave that exuded from every carved line. The pose, the curve of the carapace. Every inch screamed confidence and triumph. It was a magnificent example of the sculptor's

once, Emilia seemed to hesitate before

would say it is a fair example of how the

And one that held a secret nugget of

Eldest yourself then, Emilia?” I asked, as casually as

blushed at having

move high in the Dungeon.

doubt about it, but that doesn’t mean I was going to give up my

City was gigantic, fully covering six wide plates that extended out from the central rock