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.”

course. Just stop yelling at the

“Fine.”

the brathian mage,

course. Is it this way

and just up ahead

in awe. There were at least

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work. I refuse to believe everyone in this city is capable of smithing at such

than most of the smiths in the world, but she believed her love for metal and her

can translate

they just tell

way to find

known who was

[I’ll ask.]

three members of the trading group were under escort when moving around the city, as all ants were required to be. Not that the two ants felt threatened, their

for a moment before the

and Golden city were to some extent the work of the smith Gyllan. He was the lead smith commissioned by the Child-Emperor to construct the capital,

after a

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 Heart Gold to create the twin cities died with him. I shouldn’t

her enthusiasm gone. She was

was an entire district

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

shops had displays out the front, or people talking constantly, appealing to the people passing