Chrysalis

Growls, hisses and the click-clack of claws echo off the walls in the cavern. Waves of vibrations batter my antennae, dizzying me. This cavern swarms with beasts, fighting and moving through what appeared to be a thoroughfare in the part of the cave network.

Quickly as I can, I dart into the cavern, moving towards the dark shelter of a stalactite, hanging like a spear tip from the roof. Flattening myself against the rock I remain still, and cast my eyes around.

The strange blue lines I’d seen pulsing in the walls are here as well, twisting and branching throughout every surface, even winding around the pillars of pointed rock that burst from the ceiling and floor, illuminating the entire space with the same soft blue light.

Nearby, in the center of a clearing, a basin of water, perhaps twenty meters across had formed in the floor of the cavern. Peering closely, I see it’s fed by a steady drip of water from cracks in the ceiling, possibly from a river or aquifer above. The water seems suffused with the blue glow, illuminated from beneath by veins of light in the basin floor.

The thing that makes my poor ant heart leap to my mandibles however, is the menagerie of monsters I see congregating around the pool. What sort of nightmare parade is this Gandalf?! The details are hard to make out thanks to my still crappy vision but thanks to the creatures being so stylishly lit from below as they drink I can see enough.

First let’s address two closest to me, they appear to be a kind of dog, or wolf, each with a reptilian tale extending behind them. Their head features an elongated snout filled with what I imagine to be razor sharp teeth. The two creatures take turns drinking, watching over each other and rumbling warning growls at anything nearby, tails swishing over the cavern floor.

Next to them I can make out another Croca-beast, leaning forward, placing its weight on its front legs, scooping water with its elongated jaws. The other monsters seem to give the beast a bit of clear space, I would too! It seems the creatures here understand to let sleeping dragons lie well enough.

Now that I notice it, it seems there is no conflict around the water pool at all. Perhaps the denizens of this place have established an unspoken truce here at their water source? I’m surprised. I wouldn’t have expected these terrifying creatures to be willing to share space, especially if they can grow stronger by eating Biomass as I can.

Since this is the case I’ll skitter a little closer and try and see better!

Very slowly I approach the pool, one leg moving at a time, keeping my body as flat to the roof as possible. Progress is so slow! If I could sweat then water would be running off me so fast there would be a second drinking pool in this cavern! I test every foothold and sweep my antennae oh so slowly through the air.

[Stealth has reached level 2]

Oh yisssss!

up!

the monsters below me. This gives me a huge opportunity! I can hide here and continuously observe

I can

calm myself before I continue my approach. One mistake will mean death in this place, I must be cautious three times in everything I do. Combat means instant destruction for me, I can never forget, even for a moment, that

Steady the ship Anthony!

a creature is

pincers, like a crab or scorpion and their

Disgusting!

be ten of them piled on top of each other over there! The way they

creatures here it looks like the least threatening but since the other creatures are giving it a wide space there must be something about those spikes that make them avoid

though I’m hiding here, there is one thought that excites me greatly, each of these terrible creatures is

preparations. The next few hours pass slowly as I diligently stay over the pool, shifting my position gradually so as to stay hidden, observing the way the creatures move, especially taking care to see where the creatures go after they leave the

dogs move into a small tunnel opening in the south end, close the tunnel I emerged from. The spiky lizard wanders off towards a

you brother if I didn’t have to

are replaced by more slinking out of the shadows

I am

has reached

My poor ant claws need a

effortless to hang upside down here but I’m expending energy and not eating anything. I’m tired and hungry.

way back into my hidey-hole. Phew! Only when I’m enclosed in this space do I feel safe. Maybe that is the ant

that! Time to work

off on the side leading away from the cavern. Using my mandibles to shift the dirt and pressing it down with my