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.

too fussed over Vibrant," I tell the soldier, "let's go

the air

as Crinis lifts herself up on a few tentacles and returns to her customary place on my back. Since she has a walking skill it wouldn't hurt to have to wander about on her own. There isn't strictly any reason why 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 comfortable with it. Since she can fold up into a little ink black tennis ball, it doesn't do any

he pushes through

he

clacking with curiosity. What did he

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

Holy Mackeral! BIG!

one hundred 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 water level and then traced it back to see the tail resting on the shore FIFTEEN

I mean, really?

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

even think

shuffle

[Wha?]

Tiny. You plant your big ape butt right here in the dirt until

[Grrrr]

for a second. We don't how

see him shift and

to be

nods vigorously

from

to the

he sulks and sits

twitches in response to the sound before

Was

looks innocently at me, and wide eyed