Chrysalis

I’m willing to admit it. I was a little overconfident. With my skills improving and my core being condensed, I was feeling quite strong. Not that I could devour all in my path but that perhaps I could hold my own as I explored.

NOPE.

Did you see that centipede? It was massive! Clearly the evolved form of the creatures I’d seen above. How is that fair Gandalf?! If I’d evolved into a mature ant worker would I be three metres long and two feet thick?!

How much Biomass is that thing worth?!

Not to mention, as soon as it exposed itself death immediately rained down from above!

I shudder to think what would have happened if I’d been crawling about on the ceiling or gone further into the forest.

I steel my resolve. I knew the creatures would be stronger when I came down here. I also understood the risk I took when I chose to spend my evolution on my monster core instead of boosting my stats immediately.

I refuse to believe there isn’t something in this enormous underground world that I cannot hunt!

Advance Anthony!

Relying on my stealth and my superior senses I will survive!

Refusing to be cowed by the sudden display of lethality from this place I resolutely advance in to the forest.

Stealthily, of course.

As I move properly amongst the foliage, with these bizarre trees and fungi above my head I could almost believe I was on the surface, since the rock ceiling is too obscured for me to see from here.

The strange foliage of the trees is interesting. I presume the trees don’t need sunlight to survive, since there isn’t any down here, so why do they have these strange fleshy leaves? Rather than having many individual leaves the trees have huge, long ones that hang down , some of them almost to the ground. Most of the leaves are a deep shade of purple but others tinge into red, creating a remarkable display of colour everywhere I look.

Presumably these trees are gaining energy from the veins of light, I’m guessing now these are mana veins, that twist everywhere through the floor, branching into their endless patterns.

venus ant traps I’m going to carefully avoid touching those

Crouching low, trying to take advantage of the vegetation that

there is only one way to gather information and progress in this place and that is to

in a wide arc towards the noise, my eyes watching

stealth has

more use before they level up than their basic counterparts. Thankfully this skill, which I rely on the most, has levelled at

are these so many of these monstrosities around

admit, I’m still

I’d ever seen, and it was eating an ant alive when I

I’d still be

well as a few other slashes. It appears this Croca-beast has been involved with some heavy fighting, the beast is breathing heavily through its massive maw

focus on

chance than this to take on one of these horrible crocodiles one on one. This is a chance to finally put my fear

Let’s do this!

talk myself out of it I turn and blast the Croca-beast with acid. Come

speed, splashing down the wounded monsters side. I was careful to aim the acid so that it would impact onto the wounds, hopefully causing more

pain, its massive jaws wide open

About half the acid goes directly into the creatures mouth, the other half blasts past the

mouths like this I’m going to have to patent this move. The dreaded ’Anthony mouth shot!’.... Sounds

wounds it had already sustained this is clearly a bad day for this particular beast. Having decided on the origin of the ranged assault the Croc charges forward

Holy moly!

side, all six legs skittering as fast as they can do dodge past the brutal dash. The Croc has both hands out, long claws gleaming with cold

Slash!

to one side I can feel the air brush past me from the fearsome strike. If that had connected it may just be lights out! I’m afraid this Croc has more life

a way to back down

I turn my head slightly to get good vision behind me and suddenly brace my

Fire!