Chrysalis

When I hear that deep, taunting voice emanating from somewhere within the demon I almost reflexively start spinning together a mind bridge, my automatic reaction whenever someone speaks to me whom I can't talk back with naturally. In only a few seconds the connection snaps into place and the demon pauses for a moment, bringing its horrific face to align with me.

[A smart bug? How interesting!]

The mind of the demon is as repellent as its voice. There is a roiling sense of frenetic energy and desperate need hidden beneath an oil slick surface of grease. Every thought I brush against seems to stick to me like a rancid smell. Needless to say, its deeply unpleasant. Talking to Invidia is nothing like this, he may be a single minded little eyeball but there isn't this terrible sense of otherness to him. Is this the difference between a demon raised in captivity and one raised in the wild?

[Who are you calling a bug, ugly?] I retort, snapping my mandibles in anger, [what's your deal anyway? I thought only the weaklings were climbing up here, what business do you have poking your gross face about?]

The demon takes slow steps forward as it leers at me, another spear-like tongue drooping out of the central mouth, swaying with its movement.

[You address me, bug? It's not often the food talks back. Will you struggle? Will you writhe and scream for me? Are you delicious? The city is ever hungry and you might be the morsel they are looking for.]

Just. Gross. The novelty of finding another monster smart enough to converse, and the wealth of information that it might hold are almost not enough for me to resist cutting the connection. This thing has such an alien way of thinking that exchanging words with it is almost enough on its own to make me sick.

you won't become food yourself? How about you step back and we have a little chat before you do something you'll regret? Tell me a little about this city, where might it be found, for

circular mouth, I can tell that the demon is grinning as that barbed tongue lolls out

not discuss with food. If you want answers, come

and in that moment of weakness it stretches forward one of its arms and blasts its spear-tongue at me. Even with my mind rattled, my antennae do

would surely hurt! Quick as flash, I turn my head and attempt to snap my mandibles down on the trailing, fleshy cord that connects the spear back to the monster's mouth. It’s a disgusting, sinewy connection of pale meat and I really would rather not bite,

CHOMP!

of my head as the tongue flexes and twists away from my mandibles, avoiding by bite my centimetres. Are you telling me the whole thing is prehensile?! It can move and bend the whole way along its

the other monsters fading into the background. The others will be able to deal without me for a while at least, but I'm the only one who can go toe to toe with this guy, I can tell. This here is a fully grown demon, like Invidia. When I use mana sense to get a touch of his core, I can tell that it's a touch stronger than mine, which means it's almost definitely in

each arm-mouth. To my disgust, the display doesn't stop there, as each of the beasts three tongues extends out further, twisting through the air until each of them has risen above the height of

that certainly

moment too soon as my antennae fire a

BOOM!

And again!

BOOM! BOOM!