Chrysalis

Chapter 99

My glittering prizes are spread across the tunnel floor, a collection of precious gems ready for my mental ministrations.

Pushing away the fatigue I feel, I shake myself a little, slap my antennae on my face and begin to work.

My antennae stretch forward and touch the first core as I activate my Core Mechanic skill. My mind is immediately flooded with information regarding the creature from which this core came. All of their basic stats and skills are laid out before me in a dazzling mental map. Rather than a solid menu the values and ideas are communicated in pictures or colours.

It’s pretty disorienting but I feel I’m gradually starting to get the hang of it.

I prepare myself mentally for a moment and then push with my mind, catching hold of one of the stats and shifting some of its value to another stat. Doing so requires an immense effort, my mandibles are tightly clenched as I feel a pounding headache coming on.

With that done I then wrap my thoughts around the change I made like concrete, holding the values down as it tries to slip away and change back, squirming like an eel in my mental hands.

Stay put dammit!

Eventually the change that I’d made settles and grows still, no longer fighting against me and I can slowly release my grip. My mind feels stiff and in pain, like hands that had been holding something down too tightly for too long.

That was just one small change!

It’s insane how difficult this is!

I can only comfort myself with the idea that as I level up the Core Mechanic skill the burden might lessen, allowing me to progress more rapidly.

By the gnarled staff of Gandalf I’m so tired...

Bah! A worker knows no such weariness! Push through Anthony!

I slump forward and bring my antennae to the same core once again, throwing my mind into the strange swirl of information contained inside. Gathering my will I try again to exact the same change I made before, shifting a piece of toughness into might. This time it’s even more difficult! The core resists my efforts to change it with even more vigour, stretching my mental resources to their limits!

This would simply be impossible if I weren’t a mind ant!

I refuse to fail!

You will be conquered by me you stupid inanimate gemstone!

HHRRRNNNNGGG!!

By supreme effort of will I enforce the change I desire on the core and hold it in place as it writhes against my mental barriers. Eventually, finally, it stops resisting and I collapse to the floor in exhaustion.

[Core Mechanic has reached level 2]

...

Ah.... Ah ha!

t.....triumph!....

Ugh...

up from the floor and collect the core in my mandibles before

select another small sample from my collection of spherical gemstones and place it on the floor before me where it sparkles innocently, totally belying the pain and suffering this innocuous thing will soon inflict

your skills! Suffer like

I activate the Core Mechanic skill and bring the strength of my will to

...

AGRUPANUFFF!!!!

has

.....

.....

VICToryyyyy.....

*Snore*

BAH! I’m awake!

a vigorous shake of my body, startled by my unexpected snooze. I managed to get through six more cores, making two adjustments to each before my Core

That could have been dangerous! How long

the dirt next to him. Relieved to see my ape is still sleeping I turn to the tunnel walls and attempt to

are halfway to the start of the wave? Will the mana rush back immediately once the walls are completely dim or will there be some time spend in darkness before the

just don’t know enough! If I had just ten more minutes with Formo I could

cry

much refreshed! I still have a heap of

my mandibles and bring it to a clear patch of tunnel floor before

1st core done!

2nd core done!

3rd core done!

boy!

4th Core done!

has reached level

The improving skill level has surely helped but the task of modifying the cores is still intensely draining. It’s like trying to hold a cube

into the menu to check

the user to exercise finer control when making adjustments and reveals a deeper layer of information with the core to be manipulated. Cores may

Buuuuuyyyyy iiiiiitttt!

Gweheheheh!

that the Sophos have walked,

and activate the Core Engineer

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