Chrysalis

The sack of the Silver City marked a point of no return in the great war. Though the ants turned back, and did not commit the final blow against the Child-Emperor, none within the Atreum Empire could ever tolerate peace from that moment onward.

I believe the Colony knew that. I believe they never intended for there to be peace in the first place. It was simply their way of letting the rest of us know the stakes they were playing for.

- Excerpt from ‘Reflection on the Great War’ by Gonvas

Smithant was in heaven, or hell, depending on the moment. Everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by fabulous metalwork that she didn’t understand, which was good! On the other mandible, everywhere she looked, she was surrounded by fabulous metalwork that she didn’t understand, which was bad….

“Reveal your secrets to me!” she demanded, staring at a rubbish receptacle.

“It’s lucky the humans can’t pick up what you’re saying,” Cobalt observed. “None of them would trade with us because of your babbling.”

Smithant clacked her mandibles in irritation.

“Metal talks,” she replied flatly. “By observing the patterns, the lines in the metal, the sound it makes when struck, there are a thousand ways to learn about it through observation.”

“That doesn’t mean you should go around threatening people’s front steps.”

“Metal talks, and I like to talk back,” Smithant said, unbothered.

Cobalt laid a sympathetic front leg on the back of her friend’s carapace.

“You’ve been too lonely, haven’t you?”

“Get off of me.” The smithing expert shrugged off the leg, waving her antennae in irritation. “Stop being ridiculous and focus on what the Eldest asked us to do. We have a guide, let's make use of the time and get what we came for.”

Just stop

“Fine.”

all right?] the brathian

Is it this way to

This is Silver street, and just up ahead

that crossed over the road. Smithant gazed up at it in awe. There were at least thirty

Amazon, it's taken

have to find out who was responsible for this work. I refuse to believe everyone in this city is

was younger than most of the smiths in the

we ask? Irisod can translate to the guide for

just

way

known who was responsible for creating

[I’ll ask.]

as all ants were required to be. Not that the two ants felt threatened, their guide was an old lady who volunteered for the role,

Irisod exchanged words for a moment

the public works in the Silver and Golden city were to some extent the work of the smith Gyllan. He was the lead smith commissioned by

after a moment’s

could have told you that myself, but I wasn’t certain. Gyllan is a legend, even to this day. The method he used to shape the Soul Silver and

all her enthusiasm gone. She was dying

matter, time to get moving. There was an entire district of metalwork

of the hammer, the sound of singing steel all around her. It was just like being back in the workshop. Except there was less noise here. In the

business, and many of the shops had displays out the front, or people talking constantly, appealing to the people