Chrysalis

I can feel it. I’m not sure exactly how, or why, but I can feel it. Far, far below where I stand, something has shifted. I feel as though I’m standing in a rail tunnel and somewhere out in front, the very first rumblings of the train coming my way can be felt.

My antennae tingle at the intensity of it. It’s like a rush of blood to the head. I can practically smell the rush of mana building far below.

[Ever lived through a wave, Mr Odin?] I ask my new demon friend.

We’ve made our way to the border city where Sarah lives. I thought it would be useful to introduce him to another human survivor like himself, other than me of course. He seems to be someone who’s struggled a fair bit in his time on Pangera, so he might get something from a meeting with Sarah, who similarly struggled.

I’ve been doing great here, so I can’t really empathise as well as I’d like to.

Trying to teach Odin what he needs to know is a draining process. There’s just so much that he doesn’t know, and a great deal that I don’t know either. Which are the greatest human kingdoms? Why would I know that? Why would I want to know that?

I can say which is the greatest ant kingdom in the Dungeon! Why bother with anything other than that?

[A wave?] he replies, acting cagey.

He’s always acting cagey.

[Think of it as a period of intense monster spawning. The mana level rises throughout the entire Dungeon, which results in all spawns going absolutely nuts. The number of monsters being created every hour goes up by about a hundred fold. It’s quite intense.]

The demon blinks. He has eyelids, dammit. I wish I could blink.

[That sounds… dangerous,] he says, narrowing his eyes.

I can’t do that either!

[Of course it’s dangerous. Things are going to get wild. What’s worse is that monsters from deeper in the Dungeon are able to climb up, since the mana level can sustain them.]

[When is this going to begin?] Odin asks, and I can already tell he’s planning how to profit from the situation. His brain is like a mess of gears, always turning, hunting for advantage, no matter what gets fed into them. The more serious the situation I describe, the faster the gears turn.

of life has this

a much harder life than I did, I can cut him some

[Couple of hours?]

[What?!]

of his mind like never before and I give him a friendly slap on the back with an

worries. You’re in the safest place a monster could hope to be. Going it alone out there would be a nightmare, but here, me and the family can help support

shifts a little

“family”… what do

I’m confused.

from the same mother. If not, then we’re born

about a different type of

to ask him any questions about it, he has a far off look in his eye and I swear I can hear offers that cannot be refused

There she is!

How’s things going, you grumpy

over to us with a disgruntled

me that,] she complains. [I don’t even

away. I came over to introduce you to another human monster I bumped into

introduce himself. He’s too busy staring

going to say your

killing machine the world has ever seen?]

You what, mate?

is taken aback, blinking slowly as she looks

leg around his shoulder and

a bit