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!

jolt through my entire body, to the point I can almost feel my carapace

is filled with

in termites! 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 as a

Look out below!

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

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 can. The omni-elemental construct spins and whirls as I supercharge

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

need a little time,] I tell the others, [Tiny, unleash the lightning. Crinis, help Invidia keep them away

it!] they reply, except for Tiny who's too busy whooping with joy as

ribbons of electricity flash faster and faster all over his body and down towards his arms. As his hands begin to glow with unbearably bright light, he thrusts one in each direction and bathes the termite horde in sizzling bolts of

to work in, the two are able to deploy their

anything I've produced before, pushing my

the collection of brains housed inside are working overtime and I can feel the load wearing away at them. We're in a slightly better spot now than when the roof fell down, but unless I

everything I have into one glorious burst of

ready!] I shout to