Chrysalis

As always, it was the Eldest who pushed us in directions we did not think were possible for us to go. Without them, we would never have been able to forge the alliances we did, or perhaps more significantly, turn potential enemies into staunchly neutral parties.

Especially in those first years, it was difficult for the Colony to understand the motivations of the so-called 'civilised' races. What did they want? What did they seek to gain? What was it that they feared to lose?

We had no answers to these questions, and it cost us many times until the Eldest introduced us to a simple maxim: First, try money.

- Excerpt from the notes of Historiant

When Rillik felt his feet touch down on solid ground, he breathed a heavy sigh of relief before he turned to the others. Elly looked haggard, her usual positive outlook completely smothered by exhaustion after a truly difficult few days.

Lacos appeared better on the surface, but after being on the same crew for so long, the golgari had learned to read the man's scaly features. Despite how he looked, he too was running on fumes.

The city of Gliax, rising up from the waters on the coast of the mountain which had come to be known as Prosperity, was as busy as always. Mercenaries, merchant ships and larger expeditions moved in and out of the docks in an endless stream. The docks themselves swarmed with the thousands of workers needed to load, unload and crew the vessels at the required pace. It was bewildering to the exhausted trio and Rillik was quick to hustle his younger team members away from the noise.

Before they reported back to the union, he decided to pull them into a pub where he ordered a round of drinks and a hot meal. They ate in silence, for the most part, enjoying the camaraderie and comfort that came with civilisation.

Rillik took a long pull from his mug before he placed it back on the table and spoke.

"That expedition was something of a disaster," he said.

Elly and Lacos nodded solemnly. Financially, they'd managed to save it thanks to an unexpected turn of events, but emotionally, they were at a severe deficit.

"It's always bad, losing a crew member. Whether they've been with you for a week, or for a year, it's always bad. Losing people to the monsters, it hurts."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"It's far from the first time for me, as you know, but it hurts all the same. I don't know what got into Drake, why he was so desperate, so impatient, but he paid the ultimate price for it. He knew the risks, he knew the dangers, and he made dumb choices. It might feel unfair, but dumb choices get you killed in this business."

Elly and Lacos nodded dumbly. It might have been a familiar experience for the older golgari, but for them, it was the first time someone they'd worked and fought with had not returned from a delve. It was hard to take.

"We won't be going anywhere for at least a week," Rilllik announced. "Take some time to get your heads sorted out. Mourn however you need to, then make a decision whether you want to stay in this business or not. A lot of people quit after losing friends, and there's not one bit of shame in that. To be honest, they might be the smart ones. I'll swing by your place and drop off your cut once I get it. If you're still in, we'll talk then."

He pushed back his chair and stood.

"You're good people. Make the decision that feels right for you."

With nothing left to say, he turned and walked out, then made his way toward the union building. For the umpteenth time, he wondered why he never considered quitting himself, before shoving the thought to the back of his mind. He was a delver, that's just what he was. He couldn't imagine doing anything else with his time, it would just feel wrong.

No point analysing it further, he would do what he had always done. Regroup and rebuild, from the ground floor if he had to.

The first floor of the grand mercenary building in Gliax was an expansive, gilded chamber, with tables, bars, bounty boards and high vaulted ceilings. In his eyes, a tasteless attempt to mix the rough and tumble nature of mercs with the finer things success in the business could bring. It came together as poorly as one might imagine, yet some seemed to enjoy the unique atmosphere it created.

The reception desks were busy, as always, and he stood in line for twenty minutes before finally managing to speak to someone. He'd thought about how this would go a number of times in his mind, but still found it difficult to find the words as he approached.

"Hello, how are you?" the young woman behind the desk smiled as she greeted him.

"Hi there. Manager, thanks."

She blinked.

"Ah, we need to confirm your identity before anything else, and I'm certain I can handle whatever your reque-."

Tired and irritated, Rillik didn't have the patience to deal with the bureaucracy.

"Babbit!" he yelled, "Get out here already!"

Everyone around him jumped at the sudden leap in volume and an older woman stuck her head out from an office door behind the reception area, scowling in his direction. When she saw him, her eyes widened, though the displeasure did not fade from her features.

The manager emerged from her office and scuttled over, tapping the receptionist on the arm and saying, "I'll take it from here, honey." It took another moment for the chair to be vacated and then several more for the incredibly short Babbit to settle herself into it before they were ready to continue.

"Mr Rillik. I've warned you multiple times not to hassle my staff. They're just doing their job."

"Babs, I'm just back from an expedition and I don't ask to speak to you unless I absolutely need to. I can't be bothered with the paper pushing."

"That paper pushing keeps the jobs flowing and you in a job," she said smartly as she leaned forward and levered open the weighty volume on the desk.

"Since you're back so late, I presume the church-listed expedition was a failure? Care to report?"

He nodded, not remotely surprised she remembered what job he'd been on. She always knew.

"Total disaster. Smaller monsters turned out to be a species of intelligent ants with a well-fortified presence in the mountain. The mythic, the most powerful ant I've ever heard of, woke up early and annihilated the delve."

Babbit tsked as she made a number of entries in the book, crossing out names and noting each one on a separate sheet by her side. Mercs to be purged from the roster, families contacted, blood gold paid.

"You and your crew came out alright?"

He frowned.

"Drake didn't come back."

"Ah."

Another line, a little more scribble.

"I'll want a full report on the monsters, of course, intelligent ants? Terrifying. What will the Dungeon spit out next? There will likely be a bounty put on this mythic as well, though I don't suppose many will want to try for it. Anything you know about it will be helpful, I can get you a good commission for the information."

He nodded, that was all fine.

"Although, you hardly need to upset my girls over this, Rillik. Any one of them could have handled the paperwork."

"That's not why I called for you then, is it?" he replied. "Sorry, I'm tired. The reason I needed to speak to you was what came next. My crew and I were caught and spared by the ants, but only because we hadn't killed any."

The diminutive manager snorted. He ignored her.

"Then, they offered us a contract."

Her eyes went wide.

"They what?"

"We were offered double the value in cores if we could hunt a particular type of diamond coated centipede, a new monster I hadn't seen before in the fourth. System name: Adamas Scolependra. Not too strong, mid-tier considering they operate in nests."

"You actually took them up on the offer?"

"We did. After the expedition, we needed to recoup our costs." He hefted the bag he held in his left hand before he placed it on the desk between them. "They came through as well. Need to cash these."

She eyed him doubtfully for a moment before opening the bag and quickly assessing what he'd brought. After a moment, she grabbed a key from a chain around her neck, unlocked a drawer and meticulously withdrew a number of coins that she slid across the table before relocking the drawer and tucking the key away.

"You know it's technically against union rules to take jobs from outside sources."

"There's nothing in the books about taking contracts from monsters, though."

She stared at him for a moment, mouth working but no sound coming out.

"That's… true."

She thought for a moment.

"Well, if the ants want to set up a rival brokerage, then they've made an enemy of the entire union," she declared. "If they want to muscle us out of our business, then they have another thing coming."

Before she could build up a full head of steam, Rillik intervened.

"I don't think they want to run you out of business," he said, "I think they want to register as a job provider."

"They what!?" she shrieked.

"And here's the thing," he leaned in and whispered, "they said they would happily pay until these rival bugs are wiped from the Dungeon entirely. You understand just how much money that would be, right?"

The manager swallowed, eyes filled with visions of cores, piled high as a mountain.

"We will… need to negotiate," she said, her mouth suddenly dry. "I thank you for bringing this to my attention," she said. "You did the right thing, Rillik."

"I try," he said dryly before he stood. "If you need me, contact me at my place. I'm going to go sleep for two days."

"We'll be in touch."