Chrysalis

What the heck is this stuff?

After venturing forth again, it wasn't long, and only one fight before we came across something curious and I halted the group for a careful inspection.

We're looking at one of the mangrove style trees that emerge straight out of the muddy waters of the marsh expanse. It's tangled knot of roots sinking beneath the water line like so many straws. Supported atop this mess of roots the tree rises, twisted and tall, opening into a grand canopy. It isn't the top of the tree that has garnered our attention at this moment; it's the bottom — specifically, the roots.

They're glowing. Not all the roots, mind you, just some of them, half perhaps, but there is a glow happening. The roots in question are shimmering with a soft browny, bluey sort light, the kind of colour that soothes and mollifies the tired mind.

Curiously I venture close enough to give them a tradition ant investigation, which consists of thwappity thwapping the offending wood with my antennae until I get a good sniff of them. To my more ordinary senses, they seem just like glowing wood.

Flipping on my mana sense skill, I get a very different picture. When I reach out with my magically attuned mind I can detect water mana, blue and clear, infused with the wood alongside another mana type, slow-moving and earthy in a way I can only imagine is earth mana.

So this wood is infused with not one, but two types of mana? Is it due to sitting in the muddy waters of the expanse, a place that is saturated with mana at the best of times and at present completely overflowing with the stuff?

Perhaps this is an example of the kind of rare materials Enid was mentioning? I wonder if the humans can make something out of this stuff? I'll have to take a sample up with us when we return, not to mention keep an eye out for any more sources.

Before leaving I give the wood one last thwappity with my antennae, the nimble sense organs flipping about rapidly as if they had a mind of their own before I feel satisfied.

["looks like some sort of mana infused wood'] I report back to my group when I join them, a few metres away from the tree.

"Oooooh" Vibrant coos, "sooooo, what does it do?"

"I'm completely certain" I reply firmly, "that I have no clue. We'll have to wait until we get to the surface and ask if the humans know what we can do with it."

"Aww. I was hoping we could do something cool with it."

Personally, I was hoping the same, but to preserve my dignity as the senior ant, I refuse to let my disappointment show.

fussed over Vibrant," I tell

punching the air

she has to be on my back. Perhaps I've gotten so used to having little creatures riding around on me that I've grown too

as he

he

forward, mandibles clacking with

follow his arm with my eyes and takes a moment before I can spot exactly what he's

Holy Mackeral! BIG!

metres from us is a gigantic croc. I wasn't able to see it at first since it was resting in the water, most of its body submerged. When the water rippled, I was able to pinpoint the long snout resting just above the

I mean, really?

sighting of the legendary, so far mythical tier four offspring of Garralosh? I study the floating beast carefully.

think about

hear a shuffle

[Wha?]

plant your big ape butt right here in the dirt until I say

[Grrrr]

down a chill out for a second. We

turning my head, I can see him shift and look

meant to

vigorously up

Save me from

one antenna I firmly point to the ground

he sulks and sits with a

of course, the Croc in the distance twitches in response to the sound before slowly turning to face our

Was that

ape looks innocently at me, and wide