Chrysalis

Chapter 24

I don’t know how much time had passed before I regain consciousness. The light slowly returns to my eyes and sensation to my limbs.

Deep inside my thorax (the middle bit) a hot, boiling feeling is slowly fading away, drawing in a dense ball of heat. Probably my new core.

Groggily I get my legs underneath me and start slowly moving through the tunnel again. No matter how weak I feel, I cannot stay here to rest, pursuers could be dropping down the shaft to investigate even now. I have to move.

Gradually my muddled thoughts begin to straighten themselves and my coordination slowly returns. As I navigate my way across the rocky tunnel I check my status.

Name: Anthony

Level: 1 (core)

Might: 15

Toughness: 12

Cunning: 25

Will: 18

HP: 30

MP: 10

Skills: Digging level 4; Improved Acid Shot Level 1; Grip Level 4; Bite Level 4; Advanced Stealth Level 1; Tunnel Sense Level 3;

Mutations: Eyes +4, Antennae +2, Acid +3, Legs +1

Species: Hatchling Ant Worker (Formica)

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 0

of downgrades? Why am I level one Gandalf?! My hard work, my accumulated experience, all the ridiculous good luck I’ve had?

but when I notice that my MP has gone from zero to ten it raises my spirit a bit. Looks like my hunch was correct and the monster core is the vital ingredient to mastering magic for me and my fellow creatures down here. This could

upgrade to my stats in order to condense the core

dangerous territory than I have experienced already, those increased stats would have

the wrong choice, the prospect of being able to use mana was just too tantalising

may not be that bad, doesn’t it mean that I’ll be able to level back up to five and evolve again? Which also means I’ll be able to gain

which could

spend it yet. I have several skills at level four which will need to be advanced once they reach level five. I won’t even look at the skills menu in case mana shaping or spell chanting has appeared in the

regained full control of my body and shaken the dust off my mind as I reach

out into the open

this place is

climb on it. One slip and I would certainly plummet to my own death. To my left and right

insect, I don’t have regular eyes like a human, but compound eyes. This means a few things, firstly, my eyes don’t need to be wet, so I don’t have to blink, more to the point I can’t since I have no eyelids. Secondly, my eyes don’t have one point of focus, unlike a human who can see the one place they are directly looking at in great detail, my eyes are able to look in many directions at

also explains why I’ve been able to avoid having anything sneak

I mutate to +5. Since skills can evolve at +5 I’m very excited to see what will happen when a mutation

Any clues Gandalf?

...

all his immense wisdom the grey one has been very taciturn, or perhaps

would

anything left for me to do but move

leaving the shelter of the small tunnel and exposing myself to the open air of this incredible

enough word to describe this place, it feels like a

can. Strange twisted trees, huge

for the first time I really think to

with my front claw, snipping at them to see if they react. When they don’t respond I move toward a giant mushroom. These things are

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