Chrysalis

There is so much mana flooding through the walls that, to be honest, it is almost intimidating. My absorbing legs feel like they are on fire, energy gushing through them at a ferocious rate, pouring into my core at a constant rate. Even though I’ve used some mana from my core and gravitational energy gland already I’m nearly topped off on both so quickly is my mana recovering.

Even the regular mana regeneration that I get from the mana in the air is higher right now, the air is so rich with the strange energy. If I can find more ways to apply my mana in a combat situation then this wave would be the perfect environment for a magic oriented ant like myself.

As fearsome as my physical abilities are, thanks to my investment of evolutionary energy and my many mutation enhancements, my current species is Mind Ant, and I’ve poured a lot of skill points, time and energy to developing my ability to use magical energy. If I’d had a little bit more time I’m certain I could have worked out some sweet attacks!

Now that the wave has hit I’ve no choice but to try things and see how it goes!

Thankfully this isn’t a bad place to test it, the colony is holding the line at the tunnel entrance, refusing to advance forward and swarming anything that comes too close to them. So far this tactic is proving to be successful, any monster that dares approach the wall of ants blocking the entrance to the escape tunnel is quickly pulled forward by dozens of ants, dragged directly into the middle of the mass of workers and set upon, carved up and sprayed with acid before they can even ask for a cup of sugar.

I’m not exactly why the ants aren’t suicidally charging into the fray as is their usual style but I’m extremely grateful for it. Perhaps it has something to do with the brood? With the future generations of the colony at stake the workers are refusing to abandon them, instead defending with all they have.

It almost brings a tear to my eye! Go for it workers, fight for the future of our family! Defensively though...

That will give me room to work!

Of course, Tiny might be hit but he’s strong enough to survive, surely. I can’t imagine anything I can produce with less energy than the Gravity Bomb would be able to hurt the big guy.

As battling monsters again encroach on me from every side, gaping mouths and elongated limbs lashing at each other, I reach deep within, stirring awake my sub-brain and grasping hold of the ethereal energy of this world.

Mana is a difficult to explain. How it feels, how it looks in my mind’s eye, the way it moves, it’s hard to find the words. Stored inside the mana sources of my body, the energy is dense, hanging like a thick fog over the ground, a haze or mist that can’t be seen through, a low lying cloud of sparkling power.

When I ... reach for it ... the cloud stirs and shifts, like a living creature reacting to its owners voice. In equal parts I call to it and take hold of it, not roughly, like grabbing a cat by the scruff of the neck, but firmly, holding it by the hand leading it where I want it to go.

feels ... heavy ... as if weighed down by an inertia that I must overcome by sheer mental effort. Even with my sub-brain the amount of willpower required

energy in a certain direction isn’t that difficult, but to move into an exact direction and form an exact shape is far, far more

is simple, even if the ball is heavy, but to roll it exactly five and a half metres with a ten degree spin to the right ....

is where the mana shaping skill comes

guide my hand, implanting in my mind the instincts and nous needed to understand just how much force is too

said that all skills are knowledge, but mana shaping contained more than most. Not just the control aspect, but also numerous specific

is that the knowledge of what each shape is

improving as I grind, the work has become easier but it’s still immensely difficult to achieve the

my last round of practice I was able to get the shapes to form correctly only around 50% of the time, but I wasn’t

now I’m going to

Anthony! Hope something good comes

pattern I think of. This shape resemble a circle that loops in on itself, forming many concentric circles that eventually shift into a sphere. The extra difficulty comes in due to the fact you have to ’draw’ the shape in two places at the same time,

but due to having to keep an eye on my surrounding I can’t divert all of my focus to just forming the pattern. I’ve retreated myself to as close to the corner of the chamber as I can, hoping to avoid attention by remaining still and quiet. In

attempt finally collapses and fizzles out as I can no longer hold the

to do was shout a few words and wave a stick around,

...

Didn’t think so.

the wall I begin another

my feet, planted firmly against the walls, continue to draw in more energy. My core has been topped off already and now the excess energy is

Ok. Focus Anthony!

I painstakingly begin to form the pattern within myself, controlling the energy to create every loop and whorl with as much precision as I can. I divert even more attention to the effort, allowing myself to be buffeted and struck by several monsters as I concentrate on