Chrysalis

Chapter 2

The world before the System Descent is mystery to us now, any records of that time disappeared during the Rending or were lost in the centuries since. How did those people judge each other, unable to view themselves with perfect numerical accuracy as we so easily can today?

Was that society a more equitable place? When the worth of a human being can be weighed with such precision, strict roles and structures are easy to maintain, perhaps back then, when the qualities of each individual were more nebulous, it allowed greater freedom, greater choice in a persons' life? Many believe the System elevated us, empowered us to fight back against the great cataclysm, but many of the wise question this narrative, we know what we gained in the Descent, but we can no longer recall what we lost.

Exert from page 15 of "Ruminations on the pre-Descent society" by Illarion the heretic.

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Okay. So I have a skill point and a body point to spend? If this is a game-like situation then I would be able to open some sort of menu in order to spend my points and improve myself. How do I access this menu here in my tunnel though?

Erm. Level up!

No, that didn't work.

Escape! Escape key!

… Nothing.

I mean, worth a shot right?

Sigh.

Status!

Whoa!

Name: Anthony

Level: 1

Might:15

Toughness:12

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 30

MP: 0

Skills: Digging level 1; Acid Shot Level 1; Grip Level 3; Bite Level 2

Species: Hatchling Ant Worker (Formica)

Biomass: 1

Skill Points: 1

Wow, this is really interesting! My status huh?

The first time I saw these numbers I thought they looked high but perhaps they are actually really low? I can't imagine a hatchling ant worker has an impressive status in any way. And what are these skills?

I can hold onto

objects

return of Lord Gandalf! My lord! My savior! Truly your beard is the most luxurious, your eyebrows

have some sort of help system built into the status to

ceiling? I totally forgot ants could do that. I'll have to try it as soon as I get out of here, why would you walk on the floor

do my other skills do I

accurately and forcefully apply a bite using fangs, mandibles or

sub-conscious guidance when digging to increase

accuracy when attempting to attack from a distance using

Okaaaaay.

I must belong to a monstrous species of formic acid spraying ant then. This could be very helpful, it

the roof, dig and shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a

me and Croca-beasts, I've no idea where the surface is or if the surface even exists in this world. I can't communicate with anything since I'm fairly sure I don't even have vocal chords, so even

I want any information I'll have to get it myself. Out,

Hmmm.

That's so scary,

how many

Panic will not help this situation in any way. Stay rational, stay cool,

is, what can I spend my

like to spend

magnificent Gandalf, bringer of hope, bringer of light, may your beard be ever

like with my status, a window opens within my

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

to purchase new skills or upgrade existing

be spent to improve or modify aspects of your physical, monstrous

[Skills available to purchase:

cost 1sp, improves your ability to

over short

sp, more accurate and powerful

and are more

sense: cost 1 sp, improves sense of direction

available

to improve

and improve their ability to

Legs +1: improve agility

Eyes +1: improve eyesight

sensitivity to air current

thicken the

of options! It's very difficult to choose! I have to think logically

my enemies, tunnel sense would make it harder for me to get lost whilst underground, chomp and acid would help me fight

me fight would only be suicide, if I attack a monster I can't defeat then it'll be game over straight away, improving my speed will be a dead end if I run into something that is faster than I am. Without information, how am I supposed to know what creatures I can fight and how

ant worker, I have to assume I am close to the

I have

Eyes +1 and

Eyes +1 and

Yes, please.

feel a maddening itch burst over my eyes, like a thousand

Gaaah!

Gandalf! I can't even scratch this itch,

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