Chrysalis

[We hate you!]

[Don’t come back!]

[You’re hurting my feelings! Why don’t you fly over here next to me and say that!]

[Get stuffed!]

[In your dreams, mate!]

[Turn off your lousy magic and THEN talk smack, ey? EYYYY?!]

[Why don’t you come over here and make me? Huh? Need me to go easy on you? Too weak for the real stuff?]

[Get off our island!]

[Yeah! You bleedin’ cheat!]

[Bah! All of you can bite my carapace! Your mums are all classy ladies, but you’re rubbish!]

To a chorus of mentally projected howls and insults, I float down and away from the Wandering Isle. Some of the Magpei follow, unwilling to let us go without getting the last word in. I take note of how they keep their distance from me, though, unwilling to be caught up in the gravity well.

Gweheheheh.

It’s taken a lot of mana to maintain it for this long, but it's been worth it. Looking at the suffering expressions of their faces every time they try to fly up and punch me has been a joy, bringing light to my dark, dark heart.

[Are you still going with them?] the mage, Olivis asks me.

[Of course! As long as they’re willing to serve it up, they’re going to get it back.]

[There will never come a time they are unwilling to serve it up. They’re the Magpei. They’ve been doing this for thousands and thousands of years.]

suppose. If there’s a Skill for irritating strangers, they must have it all the way

to be discourteous, rude and confrontational? Fine! I will

don’t find it…

[No?]

She looks at me.

look back at her. And

old are

that old, why do you

[No reason.]

ant… I guess my age would be… what? Sixteen-ish? Less? Honestly, it’s hard to remember how old I was when I died, and it’s difficult to keep track of time as an ant. It’s not like we hang calendars all over the

content: if you find this story on Amazon, report

the clockmaking arts. So…

they didn’t seem to bother us all that

falling, but no. The massed fleet of hulking, armoured warships just sits, idly,

at something else! If they were admiring my glorious carapace, that would be one thing, but this is just them staring at me like a starving person staring at a ham! It’s

I lower myself into position, flopping on the deck once more. Mapgei are STILL floating overhead, flinging insults at me, but I think I’ve had my fun. With a flicker of concentration, I allow my focus to lapse and the well to dissipate, the mana spreading out and losing its properties as it blends with the

one begin to recede, like oil on an ocean falling back from a pristine

moment that Odin chooses to

you going to learn that there are other ants protecting me

of my babysitters, Odin only groans,

didn’t sense their presence at all!]

not! They’ve specifically evolved and mutated to make sure you

[Gah! Let me up!]

When we get back to see

Thouris. I suppose I should give a little thought to the actual purpose

[So, how was trade?]

to its nature, it does an outsized amount of trade. They were quite interested in your foodstuffs, and we’ve arranged some contracts with several distributors. Tea was popular,

good news,

have to put up with

gives me an exasperated