Chrysalis Chapter 1700 - Scolded

[You did what?]

So incredibly loud! Give me a break.

[You have absolutely no grounds for complaint,] I grumble. [I haven’t slain a single person, not even the delvers attempting to kidnap my siblings to sell them to a church so they can be liquefied into experience juice. It's ridiculous to ask anything more of me than that. Honestly, someone should pin a medal on my carapace.]

[You intentionally leaked specific details regarding your own physical form just to bait delvers into attacking you?] Chyron demanded. [Do you possess any idea what kind of escalation that will trigger? I am unaware of exactly what is in there, but I know it is rare.]

What kind of escalation? Hopefully a massive one. Does she really think I’ll be upset if my trap catches more rats than expected?

[And then what? Are you expecting me to… feel remorse?]

[I expect you to exercise thought before you take action,] she snarls.

Lady, if that is what you are searching for, you are in for a very difficult time.

[Aren't you supposed to be hoping for my death or something? Why do you care if I draw an entire army of delvers down upon myself? I didn't anticipate grievances from the Legion; I expected a cheering section!]

Morrelia appears to be fighting back laughter. I had been taking a momentary rest with Tiny and the rest of the crew when Chyron arrived alongside her two highest-ranking officers. I barely had a chance to stand before Chyron ripped off her helmet and began screaming at me.

I’ll need to "thank" Solant properly once I return to the fifth. I was completely unaware she had agreed to let the Legion shadow me just to ensure their assistance during the wave. My antennae sweep heavily through the air.

Instead of a sharp, nimble "swish swish," they produce a much more heavy "thwoom thwoom" sound. They are simply too enormous. Figuring out exactly how much force I can use to thwack the little general without shattering her carapace into fragments is going to be a challenge.

I need to locate that limit and then reduce the power by two or three percent.

[I won't object if you wish to get yourself killed,] Chyron remarks, glaring up at me with her arms crossed. [What concerns me is the chaos and potential collateral damage your idiocy will cause. At a moment when the waves are intensifying and cities are struggling to repel monsters, Green Mountain might not last another year if you wipe out a thousand high-Level delvers.]

[And how exactly is that my problem?] I ask, feeling exasperated. [If they lose a fight that they started, who can they blame besides themselves?]

[Was it not the Church of the Path who initiated the conflict?] Chyron points out sharply. [The delvers of Green Mountain are merely proxies attempting to do their jobs.]

[You aren't making a very good case. Their "job" involves kidnapping my sisters so they can be agonizingly and slowly processed into vitamin smoothies. Why am I expected to show endless restraint when none is shown to me or my family? Now that I think about it, how on earth am I being lectured on this by a member of the Legion?! You people are completely without chill when it involves monsters! Chill-less! There is no chill to be found!]

I aim an accusatory antenna at the Commander.

[You have connections to Green Mountain, don't you? Did you grow up there? Family? Do you own a charming little bistro? An investment property? Did you get married in a beautiful church thirty years ago to a poet named Romero, and now that he’s passed, all you have are the memories and the sandals you wore while walking hand in hand on the beach?]

That became… oddly specific.

Morrelia’s shoulders are visibly trembling and the other officer isn't doing much better. He is holding it together for now, but his face is suspiciously strained. If the situation doesn't change, he looks like he might explode.

Chyron remains quiet for a long beat.

[I was born there,] she admits with obvious reluctance.

[Well, perhaps you should spend your time persuading the people of your hometown not to poke the bear. Though, in this case, it isn't a bear—it's an ant. But… you know… a very large and powerful one.]

Poking the ant just doesn't carry the same weight as poking the bear….

[Sh-should I fetch Sarah? She is a type of bear. I am fairly certain she could devour quite a lot of delvers. Even though she wouldn't enjoy it. Look, I’m pretty sure the Colony even attempted to bribe Green Mountain to stop, and they turned down our gold just to keep hunting us. I really don't think they have any right to complain about how we handle them from here on out.]

I am attempting to be as civil as possible while essentially telling Chyron to stay out of my business. She is fully aware of it, too.

[I will be watching you closely for the foreseeable future,] she growls, looking up at me with a glare. [I realize you are being as… lenient as you can manage, but I will be forced to intervene if I believe you are going to inflict harm upon the sapient people of Pangera.]

[Which excludes me.]

[Which excludes you.]

Sheesh. These people are impossible.

[I feel the need to remind you of something, Chyron. When you claim you will intervene, I take that to mean you will try to prevent me from doing as I please.]

I pull my antenna through my elbow joint. It feels incredibly good to have them clean and stripped of grime.

[Now, a specific thought occurs to me when I imagine that scenario.]

I gesture toward Chyron, Morrelia, and what’s-his-name with a front leg.

[You are going to stop me? You and what Legion? I am a tier eight mythic monster. The three of you can't stop me from doing a damn thing.]