Chrysalis

It’s a shame that I haven’t been able to enjoy the fourth stratum a little more thanks to the assault we endured from the termites. With the pressure abated and a solid, well constructed nest established, the Colony is now able to take a breath and expand out into the area. Naturally, that means fighting all the monsters which were previously suppressed by our insect rivals and their endless fields of fungus.

“Die, fiend!” I rage as I bring my reforged mandibles down on a claw-centipede, shattering the brightly glittering diamond carapace with ease and ending its life with a single blow.

Seriously, if you aren’t tough enough to survive the attention, then don’t make yourself so easy to spot! Swanning about on all those legs like a mirrorball at a disco, you think we can’t see you?!

In fact, since the centipedes move in packs, they’re so easy to see moving around it’s a miracle they survive at all! Though I may be biased in this regard. Not every monster on the fourth is going to hunt them down with extreme dedication as I am, and as much as I hate to say it, this new breed of my hated foe is rather tough. They’ve seemingly popped up everywhere, mounds filled with the lousy things are all over the place, and since they cooperate well with each other, they’re doing rather well.

Not for long, though.

I toss what’s left of my opponent back to Invidia and he opens his multi-dimensional gob to store it. I get the feeling the diamond coating on these bugs will turn out to be a useful material, so we may as well harvest all we can. If Smithant can’t figure out a good way to use it, then we’ll feed it to the grubs. It may bring them good luck, or something.

Another pack of too-many-legged monstrosities dealt with, I take a moment to look around and enjoy the view.

The fourth stratum sure is easy on the ol’ eyeballs. Filled with life mana, the entire place just sparkles with vibrant energy. The water glitters like a rolling sea of jewels, the plants and trees are radiant and bursting with vitality, even the air feels brighter and cleaner. Doesn’t hurt that it’s so much better lit than previous strata as well, it almost feels like daytime walking about on the surface, and inside the tunnels it's cosy and clear.

[What do you think of the view, crew?] I ask the others.

about and

can’t really see it,

environment, his eye aglow with

Do you

and

to be a first. Although, considering he’s from the third, which is quite diametrically opposed to this

think

we’ve run into a number of these monsters, which I’ve dubbed ‘elementals’. We fought one

say they’re super common down here, but they aren’t rare either. The pool of water a dozen metres ahead of us might seem like an ordinary pond to the untrained eye, but there’s a few things that give it away. First, my mana sense, which is always on these days, shows a definite spike in energy. Second is the purity of the liquid. Water on this stratum shimmers like a sapphire, as I already said, but this takes it to the next

[Tiny, you ready?]

igniting as he reaches the

slamming into the sentient liquid and discharging sizzling electricity down into the

watery way, it thrashes and communicates its displeasure well enough. With a surge, the monster gathers

the

at me, the pressurised liquid as hard as diamond at the laser-like speed

it coming, in the literal sense, and