Chrysalis

What follows is an hour in which Tiny goes completely berserk on every monster unfortunate enough to poke its nose into the tunnel in which we stood. So quickly was he mowing down the lower tier shadow creatures that he ended up pushing forward several hundred metres trying to find a challenger. He did eventually come across a lithe demon with scythe-like arms and a menacing aura. I almost stepped forward to take it on myself, but the moment he saw it, Tiny was off like a shot, bellowing his challenge as his wings spread out to build his speed even further.

My heart leapt into my mouth and I was genuinely concerned for the moron for a heartbeat. Despite being a tier lower than he was, demons have all sorts of in-built advantages over a first stratum monster like Tiny. Would he be alright?

As it turns out, my worries were somewhat warranted, despite how short the fight turned out to be. The demon, unimpressed with the gigantic monkey bearing down on it, slid neatly to one side as it slashed out with one arm. A powerful blade of light manifested along with the strike, homing in on Tiny's neck as he descended on the monster. For a brief moment, I thought his head was going to get sliced clean off, but without missing a beat, Tiny raised his left arm to block the strike as his right swung down, his own fist wreathed in light as a giant fist of light manifested to mirror his own.

At first, it appeared as though the Demon would win the day as its blade sunk deep into the ape's flesh, blood spurting out from the cut. But then, the attack just… stopped. As if it had run into a brick wall. Tiny's hand however, did not stop, and the poor demon was flattened into the ground by the brutal power behind that swing. Disoriented from the blow, there was little the third stratum monster could do to retaliate as Tiny stood over it and delivered a devastating combo, literally burying it in the stone floor of the tunnel.

When it was done, Tiny walked back toward us with a broad grin on his face, even as he continued to lose a copious amount of blood from the wound on his arm.

[Don't smile at me like that, you moron! Your arm is half cut off! Come over here quickly and get healed!]

When he came closer, it was clear to see what happened. The blade had indeed sliced through his muscle and tissue like it was paper, but when it came to the bone… no such luck. Tiny's new skeleton was harder than stone, harder perhaps than my own diamond carapace. When the scythe had struck the bones in his forearm it had been stopped cold, completely unable to cut through.

yours are the real deal, Tiny!] I tell

both his arms up to flex, showing

I tell him. [You did well. Let's get out of here and head to another checkpoint since you've flattened everything out here. I don't want to range too far

back behind the safety of the defensive lines. The general waves goodbye to us as we head off, stop for a quick meal, and then make our way to a neighbouring checkpoint. After finding things much the same here as at the last one, we wait just behind the garrison as they

time for you

ball sitting on my back extends a few tentacles and makes a miniature 'guts' pose, pumping herself up for the battle to

sure you're completely prepared. The rest of us will follow

front of me where she splats into a puddle that

the darkness, she must have raised it to rank five or six, which is impressive. When the area around her has been

a mighty roar or valiant charge like Tiny that Crinis advanced, that wasn't her style, instead, she glided forwards on a rolling carpet of limbs, perfectly silent, nothing to announce her presence to the monsters beyond. The first the maddened creatures of the wave knew of her, was when all light faded from their eyes and the tentacles latched onto them, slithering around their bodies and winding between their limbs. By that time, it was, of course, far

but instead I witnesse a one sided and sickening affair. Crinis' ability to independently control her tentacles had clearly risen, as a forest of dark, bladed limbs writhed before me, each one perfectly controlled as they batter aside claws, curl around and snap shut mouths before extending their barbs. The buzzing sound of

the transition from living threat to Biomass before they are dragged, struggling and clawing back to her, but it matters not, into the bottomless void they go, the gnashing teeth disintegrating them

precious eyes! I can't even close them! I swear by the shining white beard of he with the pointiest hat that I'm giving myself eyelids the next time I evolve. It's not right that someone should be made

From the shadows in front of them emerge a wall of limbs, blocking their escape. The creatures try to fight their way