Chrysalis

I’ve finally done it.... FINALLY!

I played the patient game, minimised my risks, limited my exposure and it slowed me down for sure but I’ve finally reached this point. I’ve been so tempted! Gandalf knows how tempted I’ve been! I could have just dashed out of the tunnels and into the forest, battling monsters with reckless abandon!

It would have been glorious, a sea of battle and endless challenge. Only a true monster would be able to rise above that struggle to evolve, this the choice of the brave, the bold and the courageous!

Also the choice of the idiot!

I, Anthony, am not an idiot! The proof is in the pudding! I am alive and I have reached level ten without drawing unwanted attention to myself or putting the colony at risk! Who could possibly argue that I made the wrong decision?

Bwahahahaha!

Honestly I’m extremely delighted right now.

Tiny is giving me a look of betrayal, as if I’d stolen candy straight from his hands. Are you that addicted to kill stealing from me you cheeky monkey?!

Cheer up Tiny, we are going to have plenty of Biomass for the moment!

As pumped as I am to evolve we have to deal with everything in order, things must be in their proper place before evolution can occur. For now we have an enormous bear worth of Biomass that we need to deal with.

For starters, this bear is so damn big we can’t just drag it down into the tunnel in one piece so the unpleasant task of butchery falls to me. Thankfully now that the monster is no longer alive its unnatural toughness is somewhat reduced, so despite being rough going I eventually manage to get all of the food down into the tunnel. Then I take a few more moments to reset the cover for the pitfall.

Down in the tunnels Tiny is already drooling all over himself, ready to start cramming his face. There is so much food down here it is taking up an inordinate amount of space. No way we finish all of this in one go.

May as well get to it!

Om nom nom.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Ursus Terra Tyrannos; you are awarded one Biomass]

[Basic profile of the Ursus Terra Tyrannos unlocked]

[Ursus Terra Tyrannos: Earth Bear Tyrant, This monster is known for its extreme toughness and strength. Surprisingly fast, this beast is ferocious and easily aggravated. Known for its affinity to the earth and natural environs this monster has powerful regenerative abilities.]

regenerative abilities though? Perhaps Tiny zapping him with electricity was mucking up his

rate,

the time Tiny and I are groaning and full I’ve managed to stow away seven points of Biomass from the bear, which

remainder down the tunnel to the colony. On the third trip I’m met on the way by a fellow

pass each other we do something I’ve seen a few times but haven’t experienced much myself. I have seen ants do this a lot in the wild and also in my own pet colony when I was a human. When two workers meet each other they frequently inspect each other using their antennae. Communicating in some strange way, checking the scent of the other ant to ensure they are of the

as this worker comes towards me, it approaches me head on, stops, and then we engage in a short moment of slapping each other about the

sure what information is communicated, but I get a vague feeling we are generally pleased to see each other and then off

of the food and has started transporting it back to the colony. I can

start laying down food pheromone trails leading here. This could be a good thing in the end as I may not even need to be here for the traps to provide food for the colony.

much better than

taken care of it’s time to take care of the next order of business. I need

take my pheromones from their current +2 all the way to +5, which will leave me with three, enough to take my legs from +1 to +2 and

it would make much difference to anything but for the sake of completeness I’d

too choosy Anthony! Be grateful

Ok, here we go!

you want to mutate pheromones to +5 and legs to +2? This will

Yes!

choose a mutation advancement, please select from

must be some juicy

choose from each with its own pros and cons. Longer lasting pheromones, wider range pheromones, mind

your saliva Anthony! Preserve your

choices appearing every moment. Who would have thought the pheromone gland would have such a wide variety of directions to choose from? Offensive pheromones? Defensive pheromones? Manipulative pheromones?

an option that I’m not sure

increases the sophistication of the pheromone release system, creating a more

....

I could

actually give me the ability to talk? That is fantastic Gandalf! I’ve been living inside my own head this entire time, it would wonderful to be able to talk, even if I’m just talking to myself! I don’t have

who I’d be able to talk to... I mean, the workers can sense pheromones but without this particular upgrade they wouldn’t really be able to talk back. Would they be able to understand what I’m

up who knows if I’ll be able to find another option? Perhaps at some point telepathy will come up as a brain upgrade or a type of magic I could learn, but how far in the future would that

willing to let this chance slide, I

the Pheromone