Chrysalis

Hello dear readers! It’s been some time, but it is I, Travelling Tolly, at your service to bring you my tumultuous tales from the lands of the Colony!

As we all know, the third stratum isn’t the most welcoming to tourists. The weather is simply dreadful, the air filled with choking ash and the heat is positively suffocating. Naturally, being the incredibly accommodating hosts that I have learned they are, the ants of the Colony have gone to great lengths to make conditions more convivial.

“They call this ‘air conditioning’,” Emilia explained to me, pointing to the strange contraption on the wall. “It will keep your room cool for you, and the temperature can be changed according to the dial on the wall there.”

“How wonderful,” I exclaimed.

Of course, such technology wasn’t unheard of in the Silver City, but I have learned not to feel superior around the remarkable engineers of the Colony. When I carefully inspected the dial on the wall, I realised I didn’t recognise the measurements.

“What units does the Colony use to measure temperature?” I asked Emilia, and the young woman smiled.

“They use different units depending on the task. When smithing and crafting, they use the same universal units as everyone else, but for comfort, they measure it in grubs.”

“Grubs?”

Emilia gestured for me to examine the dial carefully. In the centre of the dial is a 0, and I see I can shift it to the left or right.

“The default setting is the perfect temperature for rearing grubs. Turn it to the left, and the room will rise in units of grubs, turn to the right and it will grow cooler. One grub is the difference in heat that will add exactly one day to the rearing time of larvae.”

“Fascinating.”

I was quite chuffed to learn of this little kernel of Colony culture, and I greedily filed it away for you, my dear readers! Of course, such enchanting work is difficult and expensive, so I decided to confirm something with my guide.

every guest

“The Colony doesn’t really believe in social hierarchy. All of the guest

appointed and spacious apartment with a separate bedroom, sitting room and bathroom, but no kitchen. The Colony would never let a

many guest rooms

thousand rooms in

“Of course there are.”

here in this realm of demons! Emilia was only too happy

me a cup of tea than kill me! At this point, I think

us who live alongside them. We call this place

Is the temple here

head,

to

that, boys? We’re going

didn’t seem as excited as I thought they should be. Of course, going into a demon city isn’t that unusual. If there’s one good thing about demons, it’s that they don’t discriminate.

But Emilia only laughs.

needn’t worry too much. You’ll find Roklu

is so

teems with demons and ants alike. What is truly shocking is that there are even people living here! Not many, to be sure, but

to say, readers, Roklu was the most orderly demon city I’ve seen! Wide roads, neat houses and structures. Even the many varied sizes

the city, but instead led us directly to the centre of the city where we found the temple Emilia had

Colony doesn’t seem to believe in doing things by half measures. What was a little surprising were the two gargantuan statues standing guard on either side of the gate that leads to the temple. The two figures flank the gate which opens to a wide set of stairs leading up to

I

open palms, and on the right was a heavily built young man, a massive hammer resting