Chrysalis

[Most of our civilisation was lost when the blasted system changed us. No need for farmers, artists or poets when you're a monster. It was our ability to manipulate cores and create pets to fight for us that mattered, and over the years we've taken that skill as far as we can.]

The two of us were relaxing in Formo's house, carved into the wall around the outside of the forge. The inside was as simple as the outside, a small number of rooms, a crude bed and furniture which had been carved from the rock. Formo sat on a stone chair next to a small table whilst I stood just outside with my head through the door. This part of the town wasn't exactly made for monsters to move comfortably in, and the Sophos were quite small.

[I'm a bit surprised that you guys all seem to look pretty similar. Since you're monsters, shouldn't you have evolutions and all that? What tier are you anyway?]

Formo's snort rang in my mind for a moment before he spoke.

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[It's a touch rude to ask that sort of thing, old bean. But I don't mind I suppose. We deliberately don't evolve much in order to keep our settlements in the upper levels of the Dungeon. Most of us are tier five and a few of us are tier six. We use mana concentration enchantments to bring mana up from below in order to sustain us. If we kept on evolving, that'd become impractical and we'd have to move down. This settlement is already something of an oddity, since most of our communities are in the second strata. Better cores down there.]

[I can imagine. Any chance you would share those enchantments?]

[Nope.]

[Dammit.]

I think for a moment. I can feel that the mana in the air is more concentrated in here than it was in the tunnels outside, which is crazy considering there aren't any mana veins. Are they moving mana around with some sort of mana air conditioning system?!

[Your friend Tirimon seemed very interested in my pet Crinis. Any particular reason for that?]

the

I nod.

he began to muse, one clawed hand coming up to stroke his narrow chin. [That's quite the rare specimen you have there. Quite rare indeed. Very new species.

sure. Scared the

spit out new species during events like a wave, see how they fare. Now that things are calming down, we're quite keen to send an expedition to the lower levels to see what

out that they won't see much, due to being blind. That's too cheap, even for

her are they?] I ask

NONSENSE! The Sophos aren't

pretty keen to get his hands

to test its performance then he should have done so here in the proving grounds. I'm sure he wanted to

wobbling a little

well pop down to the pens if you're worried though. I

little in order to clear the doorway and we pass through the forge where Sophos diligently work their craft and we come to an enormous staircase leading both up and down. These stairs are so massive that I think even Garralosh would be able to navigate them! Makes sense I suppose, there would have

'downstairs' area and my mandibles drop open reflexively. Had I really thought the Sophos would treat their

The pets have beds. BEDS! And they look so much better than what the Sophos themselves enjoy! In fact, from the entrance I can see into a nearby pen where one of those enormous worms is comfortably nestled on an enormous padded cushion.

than there were upstairs. They move from pen to pen, checking on creatures, or even just resting alongside them. They don't appear to

if your people spend more

anymore, you know. The Dungeon doesn't allow natural reproduction from 'monsters'. Not in the way we could before. My people invest most of their energy in their pets. They are the only children we'll ever have.

understand. I've wanted to try and

want them to be compelled to follow you

[Right!]