Chrysalis

Our new squiggly companion has certainly struck some fear into the hearts of each monster inside this room. They cower backwards in a decidedly non-monsterish manner as the new challenger descends.

I immediately start to draw on the mana inside my core, pulling out great streams of it and starting the process of compacting inside my throat. Whatever this monster is, I’m not mucking around, I’m going to give it both barrels of a forceful mana shout!

The roar of my soul!

I don’t only have to use the Gravity Bomb every time! The normal mana from my core has proven deadly enough on several occasions. Hopefully whatever this monster is proves just as susceptible.

With the aid of my sub-brain I begin to pull out the mana and compress it as quickly as possible, straining my already tired mind to its limit.

Brilliantly illuminated by the light the strange new monster is a bizarre creature to behold. It lowers itself to the floor gradually, the only visible part of its body, the dozens of tentacle like appendages that extend and curl at impossible angles through the air, all emerging from within the central mass.

I’m not even sure this creature has eyes, how exactly does a wiggling mass of noodles make sense of the world anyway?

As the creature settles upon its mass of tentacles it seems to start getting a feel of its environment by just... feeling about with its many, many appendages. Around the chamber long, distended limbs feel their way about like sniffing dogs, quickly slithering their way towards the occupants of the room.

As it happens the creatures already in here fighting are closer to the tentacle thing than the escape tunnel and so, even though they are shrinking back like the savage and wild beasts they are, eventually one of them is cornered by those snuffling limbs.

What follows is a horrifying scene.

As soon as that seeking tentacle makes contact with the monsters leg the rest of the limbs snap into action, whipping through the air like lighting. Up and down each tentacle, glistening hooked barbs emerge and as those dark appendages lash around the unfortunate victims those thorns rip and tear at the beasts flesh.

In a solitary second the target monster, a Gnashing Shadow, has been completely enclosed by those limbs, hidden from view. The tentacles pulse and flex, tearing away at the beast trapped within without letting a sound escape. In complete silence we witness the end of that monster in horror.

Holy heck!

What a way to go!

As soon as those tentacles whipped through the air to strangle the victim I began drawing mana out of my core even more frantically, siphoning out everything I can and then compacting it viciously in my throat.

Gogogogogogogogo!

The horror show isn’t over however. Suspended on yet more of the shadowy tentacles the main body of the monster shivers slightly before the broken body of the prey, still totally enclosed, starts to be dragged towards the center of the room.

body in the middle of that mass appears to... unfold ... and an impossibly large maw opens wide, grotesquely

enough to that mouth the entwined tentacles lift it and deposit it directly inside. The remains of that monster disappear in

...

...

...

SCARY!

your flowing and munificent beard, tell me what the heck was

The TEETH! This is getting

all the damn

by this display of predation by the floating

eyes the activities of our new visitor don’t end there. Having near silently slain and consumed its prey the tentacles once again go hunting, slithering and seeking through the chamber for more creatures to hurl into

way through the air towards the edges of the chamber, towards the escape tunnel. I’m not ready yet dammit!

as those ghastly appendages silently seek their next victim, but the other monsters aren’t so constrained. One of the remaining beasts surrenders

light as they draw a cold arc through the

Foolish...

the beast can even celebrate its short lived triumph over the solitary limb, the others flash through the air with impossible speed. Barbed hooks once again reveal themselves before the tragic

the prey is dragged towards the central mass and

mana. I don’t want to release a weak blast, this monster seems to mean business! If I don’t finish it in one shot I may not live to make another

has

That might help the process

feeds itself there are still tentacles spread throughout the room, not actively seeking prey but twitching and shifting every

like some sort of nightmare jellyfish! Hunting through touch

shall dub this frightening

...

It’ll do.

monster the Jellymaw once again begins seeking for new prey, the tentacles drifting and floating through the air as if it were water. There are very few monsters inside the chamber now, all

out the area in which the first two monsters had been located the Jellymaw begins to widen

I realise just where those

we wouldn’t be so lucky as to avoid danger three times

twist and turn their way through the air towards where the colony stands protecting the entrance to the escape tunnel. Oh man, if the tentacles touch the other workers before me, what would happen? This monster could latch onto dozens of ants at the same time if it wanted to! One tentacle alone might be enough to rip