Chrysalis

“Something strange is happening,” Zluth said, his voice burbling as if rising from the depths of a particularly thick bog.

“Oh?” Shozzl replied, not particularly interested.

Zluth continued to operate the array with his numerous, spindly limbs as he leaned closer to the readout.

“Many of our monsters are being lost under D-6. Too many.”

“Which mountain is D-6 again?”

“It’s next to D-5.”

“I know it’s next to D-5, you slimeless stooge. How does that help me?”

The fierce, primal anger that dwelt within all his kind boiled up in Zluth now, hissing within his slug flesh. He suppressed it. Those who surrendered to the rage too often soon found it became more difficult to resist. It was hard to find a role within the tribe when one had a nasty habit of biting off the heads of one’s partners. And those without a role were meat for the pits.

“D-5 is claimed by the tree, huccop,” he spat, a thick wave of mucus overflowing from his mouth. “Remember now?”

previously drooped on the

Even now,

subtly turned one stalk to monitor his partner. She was getting

investigate,” he deflected, folding away the device and sliding it

“I won’t,” Shozzl declared.

more allowing herself to sink back into the bubbling acid pool. He cursed. Of all the Krath he could

I will be forced to report your lax attitude

that emerged along with his words would have melted a

within the bowels of the Blubbeast, perhaps you will find your spawn mother there. I’m certain she still lives,” he concluded,

red with her mindless anger, and Zluth raised his limbs for the

unpleasantly as he slithered

Shozzl had certainly cultivated a potent acid. Zluth’s digestive tract groaned and contorted in pain as it was eaten away and reformed itself, struggling to break down the flesh of

going on up here?” he muttered to

for those useless termites. Having collected useful samples already, they had hoped to clear out

elongating his body to ten times its original length and burrowing himself into the ooze. Faster and more agile than a slime-snake, he powered forward, his

saw it. Vibrations, travelling through the slime and even the

pace and retracted his stalks, bringing his eyes close to his own acidic flesh. He stuck to the shadows and the deeper pools, cautiously advancing,

fourth stratum monsters, spawned by the wave, had attacked the slime and triggered this rage. Except that didn’t explain why it was still going on. The monsters of the fifth were inherently superior to those of the fourth.