Chrysalis

“This… ‘Colony’. I don’t like it, Theraz, but it’s new, and new can be either good or bad for business. What I need to know, as soon as possible, is which it’s going to be.”

“Well, the first thing I can tell you is we aren’t going to be able to dislodge them easily.”

“Really? That mountain has changed hands so many times recently I was starting to think it was impossible to hold. First that tree had her roots all over it, then the ka’armodo seized it for whatever reason and now these ants are setting up shop! I don’t like it when others set up shops next to mine, Theraz.”

The Satrap didn’t get as disgustingly wealthy as he had by tolerating competition, after all.

“We are directing as many of the lake monsters as we can toward their fortifications, and so far they haven’t made a dent. Worse than that, since they’re monsters, all we’re really doing is flooding them with Biomass, experience and cores.”

“Are you suggesting we cease the siren song?” Umizen muttered, leaning his cheek against one of his hands. “Your father had the same thought.”

My father is a lot smarter when it comes to fighting.

It wouldn’t do to say so out loud, of course.

“Any and all matters regarding the Divine Guardian Beast are for you and you alone to decide on,” Theraz replied smoothly. “I am merely reporting the progress, or lack thereof, being made.”

“Fine,” the Satrap grumbled to himself. “After everything I’ve spent on her, you’d think she could deal with squishing a few ants.”

“She isn’t fighting,” Theraz reminded him, “she’s just using her song.”

“Should I send her up? Make a direct assault?”

was an asset, and the Siren was incredibly expensive. His uncle wouldn’t risk her unless he had

think that would be a good idea,” he replied. “I’ve seen… I’m not sure how to put this…. I’ve seen a very powerful ant monster, a Mythic one, tier seven or eight probably, it was hard to tell from the waterline. It came out of the mountain and scared off

He shook his head.

Highly evolved and highly mutated. If there are more like that in the mountain,

mention of the monster, both his cousin and

think it’s strong?” Piris gasped. “Could you beat

it’s valuable?” the Satrap breathed. “Could

you: yes, I think it’s strong and valuable. The carapace sparkled under the sun like a jewel and I could feel the mana thundering in its core. Secondly, no. I could not beat it, certainly not alone,

ants,” Piris and her father

Theraz shook his head.

mind. They aren’t ‘just’ anything. If a group of monsters conquered a mountain and turned it into an impregnable fortress in a few weeks, you’d have a good

leaned his scaled cheek on one of his open palms,

six, and they all have a core. Every single one of them, and there’s hundreds of thousands of them, maybe more, according to what I’ve read. When we include monster

man felt a

to be alive, to enjoy the privileges of wealth,

sat back

your father

agrees

this Colony directly. ‘You have enough money, brother’, and ‘what’s the point of taking a risk like that,’ and ‘how many brathian are you willing to sacrifice to get richer’. I’ve heard

all valid questions,

about someone else taking it and supplanting our

it comes down to it,

considered him for a few long moments before