Chrysalis

The enormous core, looking like a lustrous dark pearl, slowly begins to dissolve into the air before me. As it does so the solid matter that makes it is released as energy that swirls and flows in the air, tiny particles dancing and spinning. Each individual particle eventually meets another and then those two meet another and in this way the individual dots of energy become grouped into flowing streams that trail each other.

Eventually these streams begin to be drawn towards me, flowing directly through my physical self as if it weren’t there and being drawn towards my core. As they grow closer the energy acts almost as if it were water circling the drain, looping around the core in wide circles at first before the loop draws tighter and the flow faster, increasing in pace the closer it gets.

As the energy finally begins meet my more I can feel the spherical gem begin to grow, greedily absorbing every particle of light that touches it, using that energy to construct itself anew.

More and more energy is flowing with every second, growing faster still as the enormous core continues to dissolve, releasing all of its potential.

The spinning energy is no longer like a bath drain and more like a raging whirlpool. A veritable ocean of power being drawn deep into my core.

It hurts!

As my core expands further and further a dull pain begins to throb in my abdomen. Distant at first and then sharper with each passing moment.

I clench my mandibles and brace myself against it. C’mon Anthony! You can take it!

More. More. MORE.

The pain continues to build until it is agony! My core is a screaming mass of pain, ultra-dense and far larger than it should be for a creature of my strength.

I can feel that deep inside, my core is unstable. Growing too quickly and holding too much energy. Damn it hurts!

Finally the Titan-Croc’s immense core is completely gone but the pain remains. The ripping agony flares every few seconds, causing me to almost collapse.

Even Tiny has noticed something is wrong, coming over to place a gentle paw on my back. Thanks little buddy. That’s real nice.

OUCH.

Damn this core! I don’t recall Gandalf mentioning the searing agony involved when pushing your core beyond you evolution level!

With my willpower being sapped by fighting off this pain I can’t do much. Blearily I check my status and the result shocks me into alertness again.

MP 11/50!

Fif... FIFTY?

painful, my core is literally a full 25% larger than a body at my level of evolution is supposed to be able to

such terrible sensations within me, I can’t help but be excited for what this could mean for my next evolution. Will new, rare options be unlocked? Or could I just gain

so far from this battlefield but

don’t want to eat any more, frankly I don’t want to do

myself

let this wealth of Biomass just go to the colony completely. They can have the rest,

up all of the cores from the large monsters

near the Titan-Croc and begin to excavate a temporary nest. I would normally just drag this food back to our

and I’m able to dig out

done I drag myself over to the remains and start the unpleasant job of breaking it up into pieces and then burying them in my new hiding hole. The

I had experienced has receded to a lesser but consistent pain that batters at

Ugh... I hate thiiiiis.

has also completed their mission, transporting all of the Biomass down into the main nest to be consumed there and

one more look at the now bare area around me I drag myself down into the chamber and once Tiny has joined

long battle has finally ended and the colony has been

Zzzzzzzz.

I’m UP!

startle myself out of torpor, snapping awake

Phew! Good sleep!

to persistent ache. I can probably attribute this to my insides being squashed by the larger than intended core occupying too much

I evolve it’ll be nice and

I can see he has grown again after stuffing his face yesterday. Honestly I think he’s grown a little too large to comfortably fit on my back, which is a little sad, but I’m glad he’s

yourself useful eventually

and then a bit more I don’t really begrudge him the core I spent to

now turns to the business at hand, namely, continuing to eat this Biomass! I’ve resolved that until all of this Croca has been

we’ll be able to fill ourselves up at least once more, possibly twice, before the food

Tiny! Time

...

Om nom nom.

...

Tiny is looking so full he’s practically a monkey basketball!

Such riches!