Chrysalis

This is one huge pile of food… there's no way I can fit it all in! I kind of want to call my pets over and have them indulge as well, but I feel bad about it since the Colony has gathered all of this for me. I guess I'll dive in and if there's any left when I'm done I'll make sure the others get their fair share.

[Alright gang. Get some rest but keep an eye out. I'll make sure you get your food later, alright?]

[Yesssss,] Invidia says but I can see his eye blazing with green light as he eyes off my food.

[Yes, Master,] Crinis says, happy to attach herself once more to my carapace and allows her shape to blob.

[Hurrrrr…] Tiny growls, the saliva pouring from his mouth as he openly gnashes his teeth as if eating already.

[That's gross, Tiny! Just move over there, alright? We ate a bunch of demons in the tunnels not that long ago. Mutate or something.]

With my badgering, he finally turns his back on the feast and sulks in the corner. Five minutes later, he's asleep.

[Alright then, Granin. What's the first thing you want to discuss?] I sigh as I start to tuck into the mountain of food.

[The Rescindic Principle, obviously.]

heck

cash in,] Torrina breaks in, [it's going to be one of the

a good idea that we discuss your options since there are likely to be a few built into the choices you get when you evolve. If you have a clear picture of what you want, then it'll be easier to eliminate some options and focus in on the ones you

choice? Is there a reason I shouldn't just reset everything and get a totally awesome new body? Just get it all over and done

can tell he wants to facepalm but is resisting by sheer force of will. Corun

to zero, but if I sit here in the Colony and they pump me full of Biomass, I'll be able to get them all back to a respectable level in a couple of days! I'll be way more powerful,

you will find. I don't doubt that there will be many options available only to second and possibly a few from third strata monsters when you evolve this time. The next time

a whole lotta Biomass. Four hundred and fifty five? For each mutable part of my body? That's… insane. I'd have to eat through half a strata to amass that. And at tier six, it'd have to be the third strata at that. Although the Colony could pour resources into me, the thought of that much Biomass going towards bumping up my mutations when it could instead be spent on the hatchlings, or

there'll be better options available at tier seven, and at tier eight, and so on. A better, more efficient strategy is to cycle critical body parts and reset them every few evolutions, if you get that far. Think

mean, I could do

said there were

reason is what we would describe as Monster Dysmorphia. Which is to say that not

a monster's body is more or