Chrysalis

The walls glow with molten light as the dragon's breath fades and we rocket through the narrow space. I can hear Tiny growling behind me as his hands and fur get singed by the rocks but we don't have time to deal with it.

He thinks he has it rough. I'm the one at the front, shoving the still boiling Biomass out of the way and trudging through flaming carapaces, breaking them underfoot. This is nasty! Fortunately the tunnel isn't that long, I can already see the next wave of termites rushing in to reinforce.

Well we can't have that!

My brains spin at incredible speed and mana churns inside me and in the air around. I'm pulling in a lot of juice right now, and have been for a while. I need to get my claws back into some regular tunnel so I can tap the mana veins there; don't want my core to be even approaching low on power.

Bolts of pure kinetic force fly forward like the fists of a truly angry ant and slam into the leading termites, knocking them off balance. They emit an angry chitter and try to rush forward again, only to meet with another barrage, then another.

We're coming through!

The force mana flies as I literally pummel the insects backwards while I continue to run toward them, the rest of the gang following up behind me. When I get close enough I initiate a charge, dropping my head and digging in my claws for traction.

I can hear them sizzle as I do so, which is far from ideal, but I rocket forward like a magnificent, sparkling missile.

CRASH!

body, to

is filled with the

The narrow opening I launched through was half way up the wall on the right side and right now I'm suspended in

doesn't come

Look out below!

tuck my legs in the traditional cannonball position and drop like a stone, but not before unleashing another blast of Dragon Breath. The flame rockets out as if fired from a jet engine, pure, hot and unbelievably loud. In the brief time it takes for me to land, I clear a small zone before I crash down into the now smoking

legs at the last second and bury them into the tunnel floor, immediately absorbing a jolt of mana. Gimme that juice! I push my brains to the limit, even the main mind pitching in to draw and shape as much mana as I possibly

fall into the tunnel around me, Tiny crashing down with his surprising grace. Crinis, a dark mass of tentacles with no centre, squirms out of the small opening and drops down to land beside me, quickly followed by Invidia's slow descent and Sarah

[Tiny, unleash the lightning. Crinis, help Invidia keep them away

they reply, except for Tiny who's too busy whooping with joy as writhing bolts of lightning ignite all over his

ribbons of electricity flash faster and faster all over his body and down towards his arms. As his hands begin to glow

and shields pop into place as Invidia follows up on his elder's good work. With more room to work in, the two are able to deploy their devastating area-effect abilities to inflict

a barrage of spells unlike anything I've produced before, pushing my new

now than when the roof fell down, but unless I find a way to get some separation between us

I have into one glorious burst

I shout to the others. [Get