Chrysalis

I have high hopes for this upgrade. At the moment I can’t use my mana for anything other than practice, it serves no offensive purpose, and I can’t help but wonder if I’ll eventually be able to manipulate my mana into different elemental types eventually. If I’m right then this could be a massive advantage, even if it is a long way off.

For now, this upgrade will give me what I want most, which is a rounded offensive boost.

Choose Infused Mandibles!

ooooOOOOHHHHHHHH GOD!

MY FACE!

MY PRECIOUS FACE!

Once the mutation begins my entire face erupts with painful itching. It almost feels as if wires are tunnel through my head, connecting my mandibles and my inner body.

This is the WOOOOOOOOORST!

It takes a long time for the mutation to end. When it finally stops I feel like crying in relief and once again I’m forced to remember that ants have no tears.

But my heart, my heart is weeping.

Getting stronger is an amazing feeling but the process completely sucks. Having spent my mana and my Biomass it is time to rest up. I still have skill points to spend but I’ll keep holding them for skill upgrades and potential magic skills.

Time for a nap!

Without further ado I flop onto my side and begin to drift into the dreamless state of torpor. Tiny scratches around for a while before leaning himself against my back. Before my senses finally fade away I can hear him snoring softly behind me.

Aaaand UP!

With a jolt I shake myself awake, ready to take on another day of challenges! Since there isn’t really any hurry I make sure to spend the mana I accumulated whilst resting on more manipulation practice.

I try something different this time, inspired the Queen, that is to say, mother, passing on her healing spell through her antennae. Using my mind to control the flow of energy in my core I direct it out, into my body and up through my antennae. Eventually the mana is released as a brightly glowing wisp of smoke, drifting from the tip of each antennae.

it just me or is he a bit bigger today?) and wait for him to jump on

rush to get started quickly today so I felt like taking some time to play around with the

this stage in their development, no eyes or ears of any kind. They are totally dependent on the workers to care for them until

I try tickling them with my antennae and they start wriggling around happily, rolling away to escape. This starts a new game where Tiny and I take turns to roll the little guys back and forth

Heheh.

time to go and secure food for

Wait, I smell something...

see the workers rushing about, extremely agitated. It doesn’t take long for me to work out why. The scent I detect in the air is the pheromone for emergency, all the workers are rushing down in response to this distress

the heck is

push my way forward, Tiny in his customary saddle on my back, rushing down

around agitatedly, as many as thirty workers clustered around her defensively. There is one other tunnel leading further down in this chamber and workers are streaming down it at the

bursting into the tunnel and following my

is going on guys? Tunnel collapse? Food located? Are

few minutes of running down the tunnel I get my answer, the sounds of brutal impact

We are under attack!

Defend the colony!

in my mind I double my speed, I’ll reach the front line and smash our enemies to bits! How dare they

my fellow workers litter the ground already but as soon as

sacrifice doesn’t seem to do much to

four legs that end in strange clawed feet, their hunched upper bodies are grotesquely bulked with muscle, with almost no head or face to speak of. From the center of their chest protrudes a hideous beak. Instead of arms, four

the heck are

from further down below? They look

are being slaughtered as I wait around.

by shoving and dragging workers out of my way I put myself at the forefront of the reinforcements. It’s difficult to see how many of these insane creatures there

want to take Tiny into the middle of this. I quickly shake my body left and right, like a wet dog, until I dislodge the little guy. He cries out in

do any more for him than

on then you freaks,

of my colony start climbing over me to reach their immediate death I

Slash!

first strike but already