Chrysalis

With the colony as well provided for as I can manage for the time being, Tiny and I once again venture out from beneath the surface and into the forest, resuming our role as scouts.

I really wish I could find out why the forest has been so much more active than when I first arrived here. Is this a permanent increase in monsters or will it start to die down after a while? Because it is getting increasingly crazy up here.

When my fuzzy companion and I start to make our way through the forest we immediately encounter another Bear Tyrant battling furiously against a Lion Ogre. The two massive monsters slash and bite at each other, every blow carrying their immense weight and force behind it.

The Lion Ogre leaps forward and attempts to bite with its impressive fangs, trying to rip a huge chunk out of the indomitable bear. However, the part lion monsters is shocked to find just how tough the hide of that bear can be.

Growling like a rumbling volcano the Tyrant bear shrugs off the Lion ogre with a toss of its head before drawing back one paw for a colossal strike. I can see the small puncture wounds on the bear's back closing over, even as it strikes savagely against its foe.

As impressive as this fight between these monsters is, are you guys really sure you want to be slugging it out in this place?

Sure enough, drawn by the roar of combat the scent of Biomass more monstrous beasts begin to show their faces. First a small pack of Dragon-Wolf cubs, then a Titan-Croc thunders into the scene, followed by a horde of blade tailed mice.

Tiny is practically clawing at the ground, desperate to throw himself into what I can only describe as a monstrous blender of death. Only my indomitable stare and a few threatening snaps of the mandibles manage to prevent him from embracing his inner lemming.

At about this point I decide to NOPE the heck out of there. There is no way that melee stops growing anytime soon! If I thought I could get away with it I'd love to try and nip up a tree, charge a truly massive gravity bomb and drop it on the lot of them. After two days of solid digging the gravitational energy gland is about eighty percent full, twice what I had available to annihilate the centipede nest!

monsters may have been able to detect me as I charged up such a powerful magic, and if I were to be attacked with all of that energy stuck in my throat who

cacophony of sound rising in the forest, Tiny and I retreat and find another path. The scene does bring into the focus the biggest problem I have hunting out here on the surface. Any sort of fight is going to quickly escalate into a similar picture rapidly in this forest. Even moving through the

Eventually, I've had enough.

Enough!

of bumping into monsters I could fight and win but having to let that

better way to scope out the

forest, where the trees and overgrown mushrooms give way to the sheer, craggy walls that support the colossal ceiling to

up stealth once more, before we manage to reach the edge of

next move, I don't doubt he still regrets having to abandon his plan to submit himself to mortal danger in the forest for little to no reason. You may be an increasingly strong lightning ape with a bat face, but you are thick as several

too dangerous for safe hunting and generally a massive

That might be

The

connect to the edges of this massive place, I arrived through one such tunnel after all! There are also caves and small monster habitats that have been carved into the outer wall here. All of these places are probably much safer

This could work!

we begin to clamber over the rocks as we follow the edge of the forest around the wall. I don't want to get too far from the anthill so we move clockwise, a path that will take us close

wander out of the woods, take a look around and then