Chrysalis

I strain. I push. I fight with every fibre of muscle and every strand of brain matter to get my body to move forward! Nothing. As an experiment I try to move backwards and find no resistance, but once I move forward again, no dice. I'm frozen in place as long as I attempt to move forward.

This is crazy! The Dungeon is basically refusing to let me walk forwards?! Are you telling me I don't have control of my own limbs?

Dammit, Gandalf! Get your scrawny wizard backside out here and explain this. I won't take another step until this unpleasant phenomenon is spelled out to me. I mean… I can't take another step… but that's not the point!

[Master? Is everything alright?]

I realise then that my comrades have been watching me skuttle backwards and forwards, straining against an invisible barrier in front of the gate for over a minute now. I can imagine it doesn't look at all that sane, prompting Crinis to check in with me.

[I, uh, seem to be experiencing technical difficulties?] I reply.

Crinis is confused.

[I'm not sure what you mean. Is there a problem?]

[In a sense. I can't walk forward.]

[You can't?] She extends a tentacle forward toward the gate and meets no resistance. [I don't think anything is there?]

[This is a little hard to explain. It feels like the Dungeon itself is preventing me from going through the gate. As if it refuses to let me move somewhere that's going to take me up a stratum.]

[The Dungeon isn't letting you move?]

[Yeah, it sounds weird, I know.]

[CONTEMPTIBLE DUNGEON! UNHAND THE MASTER!]

Exploding with wrath, the tentacled shadow-mass unleashes her fury upon the Dungeon. In the literal sense. Stones fly and the bark beneath us splinters as Crinish lashes out blindly. Tiny, witnessing this chaos, naturally does the first thing that pops into his head, which is to join in. Chunks of wood start flying everywhere as the giant ape joyously smashes his mighty fists into the root beneath his feet.

both of you. That's not

friends restrain themselves, Tiny much more reluctantly than Crinis. A Grove Keeper stomps over, a rare expression of anger plastered

mean to attack the Mother Tree at

Keeper one bit

would brush off this attack so

the bark, don't get your logs soggy,] I retort, [besides, since you're here I have a question for your mum. She

would she help you?] the Keeper

be dead if I

toward the bushes and engages in another rustling

at her roots being disturbed. What

gate. Does she

The Dungeon,

get it. Talk to

that to happen as I kept evolving, but this constant tug dragging me downwards is something else entirely. Now that I'm aware of it, I'm starting to think it's been there for quite a while and I just wasn't conscious of it. Ew, that's weirding me out. I have to wonder why it's so

explain why I was so eager and reckless when

monsters have felt it at one time or another, even Mother for a brief time. She believes that any monster with the potential to become the final Ancient is

the Dungeon itself has acknowledged me or something? I don't want it, the Dungeon can

it herself? But doesn't now? What made it

an important

her current form, sacrificing much of her

during an evolution I won't have to put up with

[Hmmm. Useless?]

know what I meant! Useless in the 'becoming an Ancient' sense. I like you branchies, always

look before he confers further

to say on this matter. Please refrain from attacking

totally a

antenna as they start to extend

[Ha-ha! Friends!]