Chrysalis

Morrelia watched the brathian fleet sailing in the distance. She'd watched Anthony's confrontation with the Phoenix of Light with bated breath, certain she was about to watch the bizarre monster meet his end. Fearful of invoking the Child-Emperor's wrath, the fleet had sat at anchor, unwilling to intervene as the fight played out.

How to explain the complicated emotions she felt? Anthony was… less of a monster and… though it was difficult to admit… something of a friend. She'd spent a fair bit of time with him on the surface, and he'd never done anything other than be helpful and conscientious. Even if his behaviour was… eccentric, to say the least.

As she'd watched his body fall, she'd felt… sad. It was a shame, and a waste of potential, to see him be snuffed out like that. What would happen to the Colony, with their guiding light extinguished? Who would account for the incredible things that monster would have achieved in the future? He'd stated the Colony was going to cleanse the fifth with such certainty she'd begun to think the impossible might just become possible. The doubt of others had never stopped those ants before.

More personally, she had begun to mourn someone that she had begun to think of as just a good person. Nobody in command could tell her why the tier seven mythic monster had decided to charge headlong into one of the most secure locations in all of Pangera, but she could guess. When she'd been asked to speculate on the possible motivations of the giant ant, she'd said as much. Almost nothing motivated Anthony to battle more than the safety of his family.

Commander Chyron had scowled at her words, but eventually, she was proven correct. An ant had been abducted in the city, the authorities confirmed it themselves.

"What they won't tell me," Chyron growled, "is if they've checked to see if it's alive."

The Legion's mages had been busy communicating with the Legion fort stationed in the Golden City. After an incident like this, she was certain the diplomatic corps would be working their guts out, but answers were always slow to come from the bureaucracy.

"Have our own Dungeon seers checked?" Morrelia asked, confused.

They had some on board, surely they could tell without having to rely on anyone else.

The stocky commander stared down at the map in front of her. The markers indicating the brathian fleet were drawing further away each moment. A handy piece of enchanting.

"Working theory is that if he's alive, his lifeforce is so weak it's difficult to check. The mages of the Tower are declining to check, and for the life of me, I can't figure out why."

"I think I can provide an answer, commander." A new figure stepped up to the table, having just entered the captain's quarters.

Joshen, another tribune, placed in charge of the mages in this Legion. With a plain face and rust-coloured hair, he was average in almost every way except for his talent with mana and a knack for getting the infamously difficult-to-wrangle mages to pull in the same direction.

"I hope you've got good news for me, Joshen," Chyron grunted, not looking up from the map.

"Depends on your definition of good," the middle-aged soldier replied. "What I do have, is an explanation. I've been speaking to an old friend of mine who has an academic position in the tower."

Morrelia's brows rose.

"I didn't think you were that well connected, Joshen."

The mage shrugged lightly.

"I know a smart lady, that's about it. I described our difficulty getting information out of the Tower, and she told me the likely reason. It's not a practical issue, but a… cultural one?"

"Cultural?" Chyron barked. "What in the name of the Iron Mountain are you on about?"

"From what we can tell, the Child-Emperor ordered Rammon the Phoenix to kill our target."

"That seems obvious, we watched it happen," Morrelia said softly.

Joshen nodded. "It's the context that matters. The Child-Emperor ordered the monster to die and the guardian beast responded. So… for the mages of the tower to actively check if they succeeded…"

"Could be seen as doubting the power of their ruler, who they definitely don't want to offend," Chyron finished sourly. She rubbed at her temples for a long moment. "Legion save me from rulers and bureaucrats."

Morrelia felt a strange hope kindle in her chest, but she didn't let it spark into a flame just yet.

"Are our own mages refusing to check on the same grounds? We have seers inside the city, don't we?"

"Yes, some of our best," Joshen replied, turning toward his fellow tribune for the first time. "So far, they've refused, but after our last conversation, I believe they will cave in. Everyone knows the Child-Emperor most likely couldn't care less if anyone checks. He probably doesn't care if the monster survives. The court is incensed that the Phoenix was forced to regenerate, and the blame is likely to fall on the culprits of the abduction."

"Any word on who that was?" Chyron asked.

"None. If we don't know soon, I don't think we ever will. It's being actively buried," Joshen told her.

There came a polite knock on the door.

"Come in," Morrelia called when Chyron didn't respond.

The door opened and a young mage poked her head inside, then strode up to Joshen, saluted and offered him a slip of paper. Without delay, he unfolded it, quickly scanned the contents, then set it ablaze in his own hand.

"It's alive," he stated solemnly. "All three Seers confirmed it not five minutes ago."

Morrelia mastered her expression.

"Damn it all," Chyron sighed, standing up and stretching out her back. "Set a course. I want this fleet hot on the tail of those brathians before the next bell rings."

Morrelia snapped out a salute and ran to ensure that order was carried out. The expedition wasn't over yet, wouldn't be over until Anthony was confirmed dead. Something interesting was bound to happen.

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