Chrysalis

The trail has been detected!

It looks the members of my colony have been to this lake after all! This is incredible news, I could possibly just wait here next to the lake for them to show up and follow them back to the nest!

Staying close to the lake I tip tap my antennae on the ground and follow the trail away from the water. It absolutely seems like a solid trail has been lain down here. The more often ants use a particular path the more they will reinforce the trail with pheromones, making the trail more and more solid.

I don’t think this path this path has been in particularly heavy use but members of the colony have certainly been here a few times.

I retreat back to the safety of the lake and can’t resist a small dance of happiness.

Nearby monsters are looking at me funny out of the corner of their eyes. It probably isn’t very often they are treated to some amateur ant freestyle tap.

My new family is with reach!

After being on my own in this Dungeon for days on end it’ll feel so nice just to see another entity that doesn’t want to eat me!

I’ll get to see my Mother in another world, the Queen. I wonder how big she is?

I really didn’t get to see my mother much back on earth, most of the time I’d been on my own. Hopefully this time I’ll be able to help out a bit more and we can work together!

Gah! I’m too excited!

Need to chill, need to calm down.

It’s important I don’t forget where I am, this environment is incredibly dangerous. If I run about whilst this distracted I’ll just get myself killed.

I scout around for a few minutes until I find a nice nest site and dig myself my now patented L chamber and close over the top.

Ensconced in total darkness I once again begin the exhausting process of training my Mana Manipulation.

*puff*

The chamber is briefly illuminated every time the small cloud of mana is released from my mouth.

*puff*

once again failing at my last attempt, unsuccessfully directing

ahead is

torpor, the sleep equivalent of the insect. I’m getting more and more accustomed to this rest. Without closing my eyes, just going still

wake up feeling much more rested

Phew.

need to continue to take it slow for a little while and take stock of

now is that if I keep track of the lake there is a chance I’ll be able to join up with a group of my colony mates

option available is to try and follow the trail back to the nest on my own but I’m reluctant

continue to train up a

is Dig. It may not be the flashiest

But I like it!

to ask me what the fundamental skill of the ant is, it would be their incredible capacity to construct their nests and

I have to do is dig about. With this in mind I start to make extensions to my small chamber, digging small, narrow tunnels in a few directions just a meter under the surface, diverting around, under or stopping a tunnel completely when I run into rock. For some reason the work is soothing, I’m almost humming to myself as I ship loads of dirt

away from the lake and it isn’t long

ventilation and also just to scope out what is happening around the place.

notice when the notification for the skill reaching level came through. When I stop working and try to think about how much time has passed

Level five Dig!

super curious

hungry, it may be time to think about trying to

if my colony has shown up

to see my own kind there getting some refreshments but unfortunately

still a wide variety of creatures drinking here but I can’t

Ah well.

Hopefully next time!

either try and go hunting or wait and continue to train

Wait a sec...

hell is

the distance I can make out some shapes making their way over the crest of a small hill overlooking the lake. At that distance I can’t see perfectly but I can see

And they aren’t monsters!

away from the lake and I don’t stop until I make it under the roots

are these humans doing

over that hill. Have they followed me

the most direct possible route, who knows how many winding tunnels they had