Chrysalis

Spreading out before my very (small) eyes is an impossible vista. A huge underground world of incredible size, the entire floor covered in strange, magical plant life.

Bizarre looking trees and giant mushrooms loom below me, casting deep shadows over a forest floor covered in grasses and plants similar to the strange crystal flower I saw in the shaft. The entire scene is suffused with the blue light I’ve seen in the tunnels before, the plants themselves have the creeping veins of light twisting through their forms.

As I watch the entire seen pulses, just like I’d seen in the tunnel walls.

This is insane.

...

Gandalf? What is going here?!

How can an under-ground space of this scale exist? I can’t even see the other side?! The roof looks like its 60 meters high! I didn’t expect to see this flourishing eco system?

This place must be absolutely crawling with monsters!

The thought grips my little ant heart. Somewhere in this massive cavern my colony exists, or perhaps they are even further away than this and the scout passed through this area on its way higher up!

At any rate, I somehow have to explore this space.

I can’t help but feel depressed. The vista in front of me is exotic and exciting but I can’t appreciate it whilst I’m in a position of not knowing the first thing about it! In such a massive open space, what size could the monsters have grown to? How much Biomass could they pile up in a flourishing area like this?

I have no idea!

Gah!

are going to make it!

However!

retreat to higher up and get some

this is clearly the sensible choice! I need to raise my level and gain more mutations before I’m prepared to explore this space. I will conquer the known before I

Back up we go!

shaft and regroup back in my

pressured by time now. If my suspicions are correct then the ’main’ tunnel up here is connected to the cavern I was in earlier, which is now fully occupied by soldiers. They could come down in this direction at any time, so I have to stay safe, assuming

I can gather from there and will be forced into the open space below without any further preparation.

Without XP and Biomass I won’t survive if I push deeper into

up I zip back out to the main tunnel and immediately stealth up to the ceiling, antennae waving in the air as I cast my eyes about to spot prey. If I want to maximise my Biomass gains then I should be sure to target the creatures I haven’t been able to consume yet, ensuring I get the bonus point from Gandalf, which means I would need to try and hunt one of the mollusc creatures (ugh), the

the hell I would hunt one of those giant crocodiles, they are so much more frightening than

left. I don’t have two

the hideous snail creature, making sure to avoid standing in its slime trail. I keep a constant eye on my surroundings as I do, not wanting get caught out by anything as I’m

body length they are very sizeable, a long slimy body topped with brightly coloured spines that seem to grow organically from the

on the end, I’m not sure, they could be a vulnerable point to attack later. As I draw closer to still to the creature I’m able to notice something else, the body constantly releases

slightly I nip behind a rock and then quickly give it a surprise

Aaaaaaand nothing happens.

slide along the wall, seemingly totally oblivious to my sneak attack. I thought as much. That thick layer of mucus is protecting the

Damn slug.

had to use a slime barrier?! Could you make this anymore disgusting for

you want to play, fine then.

...

is a trick that even ants on Earth are able to do. As the slug continues to slide its way along the wall I quickly scout around for some dirt. Grabbing

It isn’t clear the slug

Gweheheheh.