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.]

I know. I’m not minding it so much, you know. Then again, I’ve always sort of gone with the flow. The constant danger

[NO.]

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

AWAY. BREAK THROUGH.

and relax’ or ’vacation from murder’, just kill, kill, kill.

[KILLED MY CHILDREN.]

me first, to be

THEY ARE

I’m not sure I

thought the mind of Garralosh would be... more than this. She’s super old! More than a century! Maybe even two! Where’s the accumulated wisdom of the ages? I suppose, if you spend all your time sunk in a brutal, animalistic fog of fighting and eating, your mind doesn’t exactly develop

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

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 goal is to try and bind her mind from her body, to trap her

a glorious victory, but I’ll take

even as I communicate, the careful weave of my spell continues. A cage. A prison of mind magic that will bind this weak mind from

get you felt like embracing your new life here, I can relate to that, believe me, but mass destruction? Seems a little off the

STAND IN

can.

[I’LL KILL THEM!]

[Yeesh. Back to this.]

can feel my brains working that sweet, sweet mana with all the grace and dexterity they

WILL KILL ALL OF YOU. ALL OF THE INSECTS WILL BE CRUSHED BENEATH MY FEET. I WILL CONSUME THE HUMANS AND TURN

Whoa there!

assault she once again tried to break loose 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 insanity gives the beast new strength. We fight a silent, mental war for a few minutes but I manage to subdue her

Gandalf, then? Err.. The System I mean?] I

HAVE SUFFERED, I WILL

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. My spell has

can’t help but be curious. My name’s Anthony, by the way. I’ve kept that

nuts in some other way. Instead, she grows still. I can feel her searching. Reaching back into memories she’d long forgotten she had. It’s as if,

an answer. Cage is ready to go! Finally! Enjoy

BAM!

am I the one that’s locked