Chrysalis

Sunk deep into meditation, by mind is cool and composed, the pain ringing on the outside of my awareness. I can take this, I can handle it. Get that healing spell going ASAP and worry about everything else later. I push my legs to drag my damaged body to some sort of cover as my two most powerful minds cooperate to throw together some healing magic. It only takes a few seconds but it feels like an eternity before the spell is complete and my flesh begins to knit back together. It isn't enough though, the damage this time is severe. Whatever that damn eyebeam was, it was strong enough to cut through my carapace like it was paper. I think a piece of stomach is hanging outside of my body. Yuck. I can only hope that the demon was hurt bad enough to keep it from coming over here and finishing me off. I know that my spell managed to slice it, hopefully my acid will help cause a distraction as well.

I hunker down for a few tense moments as I spin together another healing spell to lay onto myself. The second it starts ticking I flex my legs and dash out from behind the rock I'd used for shelter.

BOOM!

Just before the thing explodes. Nice timing, Anthony! Shards of stone clatter off my carapace and fall like rain across the whole combat area in the wake of that explosion. The sand kicks up into a wave of precious vision blocking dust that allows me to jink once more as I reach out with my mana sense to grasp the location of the creature.

Every second brings me closer to full health! Hold on, ant! You can do it! Even as my health increases, there's another problem that is becoming more and more urgent. My stamina is falling. I've been dashing about like a mad thing ever since this fight started and I'm getting pretty darn tired! Although I can keep healing myself and drag the fight out, I'm pitting my own physical stamina against the little demon's mental stamina, and I'm not confident that's a battle I can win.

Before my situation becomes too desperate and I can no longer run, I need to heal up and then bet everything on the next strike! Luckily that last exchange gave me a hint! This is going to get crazy.

I keep dodging about to buy more time as the dust clears and I get a clear view of my opponent once more. The acid does appear to have done some work along with my ice pillar. Dark blood is dripping down the monster’s arm and one of its leathery bat wings has a gaping hole. Oddly enough the hole doesn't seem to have any effect on the creature’s ability to stay airborne. There must be some sort of trickery there. It still isn't nimbly flying about however, rather just hovering in one place. There must be a reason for that. At least, I hope to heck there's a reason for that.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

me back together. That eerie mouth that appears to be suspended in mid-air, attached to nothing, keeps grinning at me, as if it were the Cheshire cat but

It's creepy!

just about as ready as I'm going to get. Dragging this out is only going to make things more disadvantageous to me. The eye appears to be drained of energy, the green no longer as bright and glaring as it was before, but over time it's been recovering. This could mean that the eye can't use its mega-beam laser continuously, having to wait for a recharge. Or it could be a trick.

hone my senses in on the floating beast with razor sharpness. I can see it all. The heat, the movement, the mana, even that little whisper

Anthony. Just breathe. Focus and

FOR THE COLONY!

WANT YOUR PAAAAIN. I WANT YOUR FLESSSSSH! I WANT

you taste nearly as good

the aid of the coordination cortex, I can follow the flow of the fight much better than before. I sense the spells faster,

POW! POW! POW!

the long run! My enhanced reactions are firing on all cylinders and even the eyeball seems to be getting

CLACK!

snap my mandibles hard and the sound echoes around the

CLACK! CLACK! CLACK!

place to place, narrowly dodging and skirting around the explosions I continue to clack my mandibles to taunt the demon. The eye

get