Chrysalis

My first nap as a tier seven, a deep and satisfying torpor that I luxuriate in. Indeed, life is only complete when one gets their eight hours! I’ve been flat out for way too long, to the point I’ve started to worry that the Torpor Police might disappear me.

That would have caused quite a stir, I’ve no doubt.

They do an incredible job of hiding, those little ninjants, but ever since I picked up the Vestibule, it’s been impossible for them to conceal themselves from me.

Unlike my bodyguards. Whatever it is that they use to create the strange forgetful effect was powerful enough to give me trouble for a little while. Ever since my evolution, though….

I reach out with one leg and poke at the air.

….

I poke again.

….

Another poke, harder this time.

“... Is that really necessary, Eldest?” Protectant complains.

Gweheheheh.

“I just find it fun, how easily I can spot you now.”

The guard smells decidedly unhappy about it.

“We would like to know how you do it,” she grumbles, “out of professional courtesy.”

way. You’d just try and

will provide me with Will. As long as the energy is flowing, they’ll

other senses when they actively try to conceal themselves. I can’t see Protectant with my eyes, or even feel it when I poke her with my leg, or detect the scent when the guards communicate with each other, despite knowing for a fact exactly where

of stealth they’ve achieved is absurd. They’re

so fun to

stop it,” Guardiant

Heheheheheh.

make the push to tier six,” I tell the invisible squad of babysitters. “If I’m going to be rumbling with tier eight enemies, you’ll be

able to hide from you again…”

and poke her again, with both antennae this

can hide from everything you need to hide from already. You need to seriously bump up your stats and combat prowess. That concealment organ has soaked up way too much evolutionary energy,

alright! Just stop poking

the point, then I turn to Crinis and the others for a quick

you, pronto. Hunting in the fourth stratum is likely to be our best bet, but at the same time, we need to be on standby in case they need us in the third. There’s some funky business going down up there, and we may need to elevate up in order to get

of them nod in unison. It’s rewarding having

a fair bit to get my mutations ticking along, but we should make

from the Dungeon! As it turns out, we don’t even make our way out of the tunnels before someone finds

me and I stop to let her catch up. “Eldest.

this stratum, I won’t let them get a foothold. I rumble down to the shoreline, my friends

of them stand awkwardly, surrounded by a host of ants that watch their every move with preternatural stillness. The leader, a fairly burly-looking golgari, almost seems happy when he notices my approach, even

to have my strength radiate out around me like this. Weaker enemies

mind bridge and latch onto the mercenary, then I bring his two

them. [Excellent, excellent. I suppose

onto their own, and I make a conscious effort to tone it down. I can’t be scaring away our

the cargo in their boat, depositing a dozen of the offensively glittering and shiny scum onto

the leader grunted warily. [The Dungeon seems to be spitting them out at quite a rapid clip. We sailed two mountains west and tried our

spammed everywhere on this level of the Dungeon.