Chrysalis

In the centre of the basin stand the three biggest, ugliest, most vicious-looking demons I’ve ever clapped my thousands of lenses on. Torrifex looks much as I remember him. A brutal, gigantic monster who towers over the rest of us, even Tiny, smoke billowing from his back and curling around his feet.

Now that he isn’t moving around as much, I can see a little more detail of the big guy. His skin kind of looks cracked, with burning light shining through, as if he’s got lava running through his veins. Those jackalish features aren’t any more appealing than they were before, and his wickedly curved claws tipping each of his four arms don’t look any nicer than they did before.

His sisters, if anything, are worse.

Pyrixan is hard to even look at. Not because of her terrifying appearance, but because of the slowly revolving cloud of ash that covers her at all moments. I can catch glimpses of the demon within, and what I see isn’t great. My impression is of a withered blob of flesh covered in eyes, each of them weeping black ichor.

Lovely.

Somonax, on the other hand, appears in her full glory, not bothering to conceal herself beneath cloaks of ash or smoke.

She’s… terrifying.

The first thing I see is the blades. I mean… there's a heck of a lot of blades. Thousands of the damn things. They swish and swirl through the air in elegant motions, like a dance… of DEATH. Thanks to their movement, I can make out the wire-thin threads that link them back to their host. In the middle, Somonax stands like a spider in the centre of a web.

Of the three, she’s the most humanoid, two arms, two legs, one head, boring, standard stuff. She’s still huge, of course, as a powerful tier eight monster should be.

Her face is… well… let’s just say she looks happy! Half of her head is taken up with a wide rictus grin of needle-like teeth, the other half is pretty much just red eyeballs.

It’s… a unique look.

thought intrudes on

a fine mood, bellowing across the mindbridge the moment I allow it to snap into

I grumble, [quite different from the last time I saw you. As I

doesn’t appear too pleased with this description of events, but his arrogant tone doesn’t alter a

so you were. I had not been sent to kill you, that is the only

away like a little worm, that’s the only reason you are alive. And now what? Arconi-butt wanted me tested, and I passed, naturally, and then you drag me down here and trap me with your

why, but they actively try to create claimants to that vacant throne. The Call is just one tool they use, sticking this damn hook in my guts to ‘encourage’ me to descend and grow stronger. The various monster cults were literally created by

sense is that after passing the test

Torrifex and his merry crew are no longer acting on the orders of the Demon God. In fact, they

Demon God has ordered this stratum be made clean for his return. You and your Colony are not demon, so you will be

he didn’t order you to kill me,

wider, the fire beneath his skin growing brighter until flames begin to lick through the cracks in his skin. That’s all the answer

As heralds, they were supposed to be the special children, the favourites, but they were sent out to test a

to sit on the throne alongside papa? Be the second demon to ascend to Ancient.

I sigh.

waiting for me

a separate message, I