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 rank

energy. They want to be discourteous, rude and

find it…

[No?]

She looks at me.

look back at her. And

are

why

[No reason.]

hard to remember how

if you find this story

told that some ants have taken an interest in the clockmaking arts. So… it probably won’t be long until we do

Legion fleet. Interestingly, they didn’t seem to bother us all that much while we dealt with the Wandering Isle. From

they intend to take pot shots at us, like they did when I was falling, but no. The massed fleet of hulking, armoured warships just sits, idly, with many a soldier and officer

admiring my glorious carapace, that would be one thing, but this is just them staring at me like a starving person staring at

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

like oil on an ocean falling back from a

is the exact moment that Odin chooses to

to learn that there are other ants

three of my babysitters, Odin only groans, thrashing

presence

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

[Gah! Let me up!]

about no? Sit there and think about how not to be weird. When we get back to see Sarah again, I want to see a marked decrease in

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

[So, how was trade?]

contentedly. [There aren’t that many people on the Wandering Isle, but due 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.

that’s good

didn’t have to put up with

gives me an