Chrysalis

I’m not sure what I expected, honestly. Here in the base of Garralosh’s psyche, I kind of thought I’d be talking to a person. Instead, her mind is represented by an amorphous shifting mass that is at any one time part human, part crocodile, part Escher painting.

[I WILL KILL YOU.]

Good start!

[You do a lot of that. Killing I mean. Why do you have such a grudge against the people up here anyway?]

[THEY HURT ME.]

When she communicates, it’s like a psychic scream that punches into my mind with brute force. Unpleasant, to say the least.

[How the hell did a bunch of farmers and townsfolk hurt you? They could barely hurt me!]

[NOT THEM. OTHER’S. VENGEANCE.]

So.... To get back at the person who had chopped off her arm, she annihilated a kingdom full of innocent people. Yeesh.

[So, care to explain that dragging feeling I noticed in your memories?]

The second I mention it, her struggles double in intensity and my mind starts to ache under the strain of pinning her down.

[GET OUT OF MY HEAD!]

[No.]

Once again I’m able to master her, my will is superior. Neglecting her mental stats is proving to be a grievous error. I suspect the Karmodo has done a fair bit of mind magic on her and she doesn’t even remember it. I can only imagine the Lizard Wizard would have magnitudes for control and finesse than I do. I barely know what I’m doing!

[THE PULL. I EVOLVED TOO MUCH. TOO FAST. I WAS CALLED TO THE CENTER. OTHERS LIKE ME. ALL DEEPER.]

Called? By the System? Or something else?

[You don’t like remembering that you were human do you? Tried pretty damn hard to suppress it. Must have been part of what kept you... sane-ish. Even a cruddy life as a human was better than being a monster in the Dungeon I suppose.]

[DON’T WANT TO REMEMBER.]

flow. The constant danger and the threat of

[NO.]

So what was the plan in the end? You came to the surface, destroyed a kingdom, maybe two,

AWAY. BREAK THROUGH.

you. It’s never, just ’kick back and relax’ or ’vacation from murder’, just kill, kill, kill. What about my colony then, huh? What about us?

[KILLED MY CHILDREN.]

to kill me first,

ARE MINE. THEY ARE FOR

not sure

two! Where’s the accumulated wisdom of the

a mass of instincts and emotions. There isn’t much left of the human inside. Just enough for me to taunt her

spell I’ve been weaving. Here in this place, time isn’t passing on the outside, at least, that’s how I understand it. I’ve been in Garralosh’s head for a minute or two but probably only a few seconds have passed on the outside. My

a glorious victory, but I’ll take what I can

that will bind this weak mind from its decidedly

huh? You were a human being at one stage. I get you felt like embracing your new life here,

STAND

obviously, they can.

[I’LL KILL THEM!]

[Yeesh. Back to this.]

brains working that sweet, sweet mana with all the grace and dexterity

CONSUME THE HUMANS AND TURN THEM INTO MORE OF MY KIND. THEN I WILL DESCEND AND THERE WILL

Whoa there!

from my control but I hold on for dear life. My mind strains to the breaking point, the very fabric of my mind coming apart at the seams as her desperate

Gandalf, then? Err..

WILL KILL THAT

serious rage issues here. Not entirely unjustified, I suppose. It doesn’t sound as if Garralosh has truly enjoyed her second life experience. One out of five stars, wouldn’t stay again.

can’t help but be curious. My name’s Anthony, by the way. I’ve kept that name from my old life. May as well, right? Do

a response. Perhaps she would fly off the handle again, or go nuts in some

that get an answer. Cage is ready to

BAM!

Why am I the one that’s