Chrysalis

After breaking into the smaller tunnel to feast it has been two full days. Two days of nothing but digging and snatching the occasional hour of shut eye.

The colony was able to harvest quite a haul in Biomass from the hunt, bringing up piles of Biomass to feed the Queen, workers and larvae, providing much needed energy for the labours ahead.

Before the colony dug far enough that our little capsule pocket passed completely over it we managed to make a few raids down there, grabbing enough of a food store that it should be sufficient to feed us until we make it to the surface.

The problem was the mana veins. After connecting our escape pocket to that smaller tunnel the mana veins grew and extended into our escape vessel so quickly we weren’t really able to do anything about it. After just a few hours they were spreading out beneath our feet and not long after that I could feel heat sources starting to appear.

I did what I could and warned the ants, tried to get extra guards near the larvae, many of whom had reached maturity after the last feed and begun to spin their cocoons, turning into pupae. Despite these preparations we still lose a few hatchling workers and a couple of larva.

Although painful there really wasn’t anything more we could have done, the colony had to be fed and without Biomass there was no way those grubs would have lived to reach maturity anyway.

At least, that’s I say to console myself.

The veins are growing even faster than they did before, so quickly that we can’t out dig them. It isn’t long before our entire escape tunnel is lit by the mana light and as we dig forward we just can’t seem to leave the things behind. Thankfully we must be high enough in the Dungeon that only weaker monsters are spawning.

Our digging has been slowed considerably over the last two days by large patches of rock that required the application of my infused mandibles to crunch our way through. Currently we have pushed through the second such patch and the going is much smoother, soft earth all the way.

According to my Tunnel map, which increased in level again to three, we shouldn’t be too far away from the surface. It’s hard to tell since I don’t know if the surface is flat or not between the entrance I know of and the location we are digging towards. I mean, there is a slim chance we will dig up underneath a river or even the ocean, which would make me a little salty.

Heh.

I’m no digging expert but I’m hoping that if that were the case we would notice the soil getting progressively more damp as we continued to dig. There has been no sign of such a change so onward we go!

I haven’t been completely idle as I dig. Using my sub-brain I’ve been continuing to practice my mana shaping skills, reaching the mighty level eight! Handling the mana into the various patters has become so much easier than when I started, which isn’t to say it still isn’t brutally challenging. Having had more practice constructing a few of the patterns though I’ve noticed that my proficiency has increased along with my familiarity.

Which just goes to show that I should rely solely on the skill to improve myself. Actively practicing a certain pattern will make me better at using it, even if my level doesn’t necessarily increase.

I also began to experiment more with external mana manipulation. Damn that is hard! Mana inside my body is so much easier to handle than mana outside of it. Reaching out to grasp it with my mind feels like pulling my thoughts out of my own head and using them as a rope to pull in nearby energy.

I manage to level the skill up once before I go back to my shaping practice. I feel the latter is simply much more profitable right now.

Currently my status looks like this:

Name: Anthony

Level: 8 (core)

Might: 41

Toughness: 29

Cunning: 32

Will: 22

HP: 50/50

MP: 45/58

Level 1; Shattering Bite Level 2; Advanced Stealth Level 5; Piercing Chomp Level 5; Tunnel Map Level 3; Mana Shaping level 8; Forceful Mana Level 4; External Mana Manipulation Level 2; Mana Sensing Level 4; Core Engineer

Infused Mandibles +5, Diamond Carapace

Species: Mind Ant (Formica)

Skill points: 4

Biomass: 13

of the digging and fighting that has taken place. The gradual improvement of my mana skills is what has left me most pleased.

to take stock and plan the next course of action for myself and for the colony. I can’t make any plans at all

no civilisation for hours in any direction. Then

six sets

the surface now, a little bit further and we could realistically expect to reach it any time. With such an important milestone approaching I decide to share it with

surface soon! It’ll be nice to stop

pausing in her work she agrees with me. "Yes, the family needs to rest. I hope no more children are lost

this is a learned personality of

we reach the surface and can take a breather"

what the surface is?" I ask

"No" she replies.

you know that it will be good for us to go

almost hear laughter in her voice, as if suggesting that her children could be wrong or incorrect in anyway, or would mislead her, is

maybe it doesn’t. What

onto something. Dammit! More stone! I’m sick of carving through this stuff, my face

channel mana into my infused mandibles in order to tear through the stone a bit easier. The Queen backs up slightly to give me more space at the front, when it comes to tearing through the rock my mandibles outperform even hers a little bit, and to be honest I think she secretly enjoys a break, she is the only member of the colony to not have a moment of torpor since

CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH.

ripping into the stone, cutting away at it easily, causing shorn off pieces to crumble away, raining down on my face and bouncing off my

are giving way slightly? Perhaps they