Chrysalis

Chapter 1404: Within the Fortress Chapter 1404: Within the Fortress

The wave had arrived; Goszi could feel it. Even here, in his little bubble of natural fifth stratum mana, he could sense the raging torrent of power at the edge of his senses.

He grinned savagely to himself, then chomped down on a scone. Apparently, the Colony hadn't covered it in the candied blood of their enemies, but instead some sort of jam. He'd been told it was made from strawberries, whatever that was. In any case, it was delicious, and he annihilated the treat between his needle-sharp fangs before spearing the crumbs with his radula.

For once in his long life, it was difficult for the old slug to determine how he wanted the future to play out. He'd betrayed his own people, certainly, and if he were caught by them, he would be put to death. This was something he'd rather avoid, of course.

However, he didn't like the ants, and he actively hated whoever the puppeteer pulling their strings turned out to be, probably the Legion, despite the farce he'd seen. If the entire invasion was destroyed down to the last insect, he would rejoice in his heart, then hope he could break out of his prison and loot their tea supplies.

He pondered this question further as he took his time selecting which scone he would devour next, only to be interrupted by a disturbance by the window panel.

The light shifted, the panel became clear and Solant was revealed on the other side, at ease, already enjoying her tea.

[Greetings, Goszi. I see you are well.]

[What do you want?] the Krath demanded, unconsciously moving to protect his precious scones. [You blackmailed me for all I can tell you!]

Solant clacked her mandibles, expressing her doubts about the accuracy of that statement before taking another sip of tea.

be prudent to speak with you again now that

[Have you already surrendered your

is nothing more I can do. We will either

chuckled evilly. [If you thought the fifth was difficult to manage before, you're in for a whole world of pain. Nothing in

Goszi?] Solant asked

replied, smug. [After all, you've built your fortress; all you need to do is see if

Solant mused. [You say your native stratum is so dangerous, so deadly, yet we are here. We have constructed an enormous fortress, defeated the Krath tribes, purified the mana. Where am I, Goszi? I'm sitting here, drinking tea

The Krath sneered.

you come crawling back to me, begging for answers while the walls of your fortress melt

genuinely curious. Goszi's insistence that someone had to be behind the invasion and the Colony couldn't be responsible had never bothered her, but it did confuse

merely selecting another scone and tossing it into his maw. He chewed while he eyed the ant general surreptitiously. He didn't trust Solant. Her steely, unflinching attitude and the almost unemotional timbre of her thoughts told him all

the wily ant had managed to get him to say far more than he'd ever intended; he wouldn't allow her to

felt she was starting to get some level of understanding. Goszi wasn't a coward, and he was far from stupid. The slug was, above all else, self interested, beyond even what other Krath were capable of. Food had been one lever to pry knowledge out of him, but it seemed she

do you think the fortress will

mark I set, you will win the wager? How am I supposed to collect in the event that you lose? Presumably, that would

say that the moment