Chrysalis

After further hours of roaming back and forth, trying to get a sniff of our prey whilst fending off the endless tide of demons, we finally get another hint.

It’s Al who manages to catch a glimpse, and he lets us know with his usual even demeanour.

[I found something,] he says.

[Oh yeah? Like what?]

[I believe I have detected a trace of almost pure ash mana. It is… unusual.]

[Get at the point, man, enough of your waffling!]

[What are… waffles?]

[Argh! Damn your endless curiosity! What is so unusual about this ash mana?]

He glares at me, which is quite the intimidating glare, I might add, and I know that the question of breakfast foods has only been delayed, not resolved. Nevertheless, he continues.

[Its purity.]

I swear to gandalf, I’m about to flatten this damn eyeball into a pancake. Perhaps he senses my rising ire, because he elaborates without further prompting.

[I suspect it has come from Pyrixan. Only she, that I’m aware of, could manifest such a powerful and concentrated form of that mana.]

[Goody.]

Is it nice to know we got a hint of our enemies? Yes, of course, but I’d rather it didn’t come in the form of manifested destruction in the form of concentrated ash mana.

[Where are they?] I sigh.

[I found the trail at the edge of my awareness. Several kilometres that way.]

moly, you can sense

[I can.]

bit closer and see if you can sniff out anything as

[Agreed…. Now, waffles.]

[Oh for -... fine.]

hike in the indicated direction as I explain to the giant eyeball of flame about the joys of breakfast baking. I’ve been told that

careful travel,

[It’s them.]

almost a shock to

[What? Are you sure?]

eyeball flares with

[I am.]

news! We finally caught up to them! How

the distance. That serves as a timely reminder that we aren’t in peak shape. Tiny might be eager to battle, but he’s been healed dozens of times over the last few days and isn’t exactly fresh in terms of stamina. None

top that off, we’re almost certainly walking into a

went to all this effort just to inconvenience me, that’d be annoying as heck. I fully expect, nay,

thought, is it a trap, if

He stares at me.

am unsure what

surprise an essential component of a trap, or is

just looks confused, so I let the

big ape can’t do it for

us if someone wanted to. Amongst the seething ocean of demons, we stick out like a sore thumb. I’m huge, for one, and we’re covered in

order to make us less conspicuous? Yes,

Will I?

in heck I’m bringing that thing down. We’d be swept