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?

this mean I can hold onto

to hold onto surfaces and objects without letting go,

My lord! My savior! Truly your beard is the most

sort of help system built into the status to explain

my grip skill improves my ability to hold onto stuff with my six legs, including walking on walls and the ceiling? I totally forgot ants could do that. I'll have

do my other

Improves the ability to accurately and forcefully apply a bite using fangs, mandibles

when digging to

to attack from a distance using a

Okaaaaay.

acid from their rear zone. I must belong to a monstrous species of formic acid spraying ant then. This could be very helpful, it gives me an option to attack without getting too close to my opponent, a course of action that I think would, at the moment,

shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a lot of tools to survive

this place other than ants like 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 if I found someone prepared to talk to a monstrous ant, dialogue would

if I want any information I'll have

Hmmm.

so scary,

to go out there with who knows how many unknown horrors

help this situation in any way. Stay rational,

the final question is, what can I spend my

like to spend

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

like with my status, a window opens within my

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

points to purchase new

be spent to improve or modify aspects of your physical,

[Skills available to purchase:

improves your ability to hide

speed over short distances

cost 1 sp, more accurate

and are more

sense: cost 1 sp, improves sense of direction when

available

exoskeleton to improve resistance

+1: toughen mandibles and improve their ability to

Legs +1: improve agility

Eyes +1: improve eyesight

sensitivity to air

the

very difficult to choose! I have to think

it harder for me to get lost whilst underground,

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

ant worker, I have to assume I

have made my

Eyes +1 and

purchase Eyes +1

Yes, please.

my eyes, like a thousand mosquito

Gaaah!

to me Gandalf! I can't even scratch this itch, I might poke my own

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