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

hold onto surfaces and objects

My lord! My savior! Truly your beard is the most luxurious, your eyebrows the

into the status to

that. I'll have to try it as soon as I get out of here, why would you

do my other skills

ability to accurately and forcefully apply a bite using

digging to

to attack from a distance using a natural acid from the

Okaaaaay.

on earth that were able to shoot formic 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,

crawl on the roof, dig and shoot acid? That doesn't seem like a lot of tools to survive in an

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

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

Hmmm.

That's so

who knows how many unknown horrors as a lone little ant monster?! Madness, madness

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

can I spend my points

you like to

would oh wise and magnificent Gandalf, bringer of hope, bringer of light, may your beard

like with my status, a window opens within my

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 1

use skill points to purchase

improve or modify aspects of your physical, monstrous

[Skills available to purchase:

cost 1sp, improves your ability to hide

cost 1sp, Increases speed over short distances

1 sp, more

more and

1 sp, improves sense of

available to

your exoskeleton to

+1: toughen mandibles and improve their

Legs +1: improve agility

Eyes +1: improve eyesight

to air current

thicken the

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

be escape my enemies, tunnel sense would make it harder for me to get lost

survival. I can only improve and grow here if I can survive. Taking abilities to help 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

newly hatched ant worker, I have to assume I am close

have

+1 and

Eyes +1 and the skill:

Yes, please.

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

Gaaah!

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

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