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

my accumulated experience, all the ridiculous good luck I’ve had? It hasn’t been easy to survive to this point you know?! Where is my

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 explain why so many

stats in order to condense the core which has given me, in effect, only ten MP that I can’t use. Was this

now into what is likely more dangerous territory than I have experienced already,

wrong choice, the prospect of being

back up to five and evolve again? Which also means I’ll be able to gain more of the precious skill points as I do

better. I’ll have a second opportunity to amass skill points as an unevolved creature which could allow me to gain more levels and skill

to 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 list. I may not be able to resist the temptation! Be disciplined Anthony! Don’t let

shaken the dust off my mind as I reach the end of the tunnel. Beyond here lies the vast

out

place is so

own death. To my left and right the walls curve away into the distance to a place I cannot see, my eyesight isn’t good enough, even at plus four, to be able

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 once, but the detail is

a distance. It probably also explains why I’ve been

can evolve at +5 I’m very excited to see what

Any clues Gandalf?

...

well. I shouldn’t be surprised at this state. For all his immense wisdom

would surely be helpful

stalling. There isn’t anything left for me to do but move

small tunnel and exposing myself to the open

to describe this place, it feels like a fully enclosed world,

my way through the rocks I strain my eyes to see as far into the distance as I can. Strange twisted trees, huge oversized mushrooms and a carpet of plant-life underneath face me everywhere I turn. The whole

just so alien, for the first time I really think to myself,

to see if they react. When they don’t respond I move toward a giant mushroom. These things are easily twice the

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