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?

mean I can

Ability to hold onto surfaces and objects

savior! Truly your beard

help system built into the status

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 skills

accurately and forcefully apply a bite

when digging to

to attack from a distance using

Okaaaaay.

monstrous species of formic acid spraying ant then. This could be very helpful, it gives me an option to attack without

dig and shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a lot of tools

no idea what kind of creatures live in 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

I'll have to

Hmmm.

so scary,

many unknown horrors as a lone little

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

is, what can I spend my points on and

to spend

magnificent Gandalf, bringer of

my status, a

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

to purchase new

improve or modify

[Skills available to purchase:

improves your ability to hide and

over short

cost 1 sp, more accurate and

bites pierce more and are

sense: cost 1 sp, improves sense of direction when

improvements available to

to improve

+1: toughen mandibles and

Legs +1: improve agility

Eyes +1: improve eyesight

sensitivity to air current

the concentration

is a lot of options! It's very difficult to choose! I have

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

if I attack a monster I can't defeat then it'll be game over straight away, improving

hatched ant worker, I have to assume I am

have

Eyes +1

you like to purchase Eyes +1 and

Yes, please.

burst over my eyes, like a

Gaaah!

scratch this itch, I might

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