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?”

had previously drooped on the end of Shozzl’s eyestalks. Life,

now, she

but subtly turned one stalk to monitor his partner. She

and investigate,” he deflected, folding away the device and sliding it within the folds of his protective layer of

“I won’t,” Shozzl declared.

an irritated burble, Zluth turned to behold his partner, once more allowing herself to sink back into the bubbling acid pool. He cursed. Of all the Krath he could have been partnered with for ranging, he got Shozzl, the most useless

report

along with his words would have melted a human face in a tenth of

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

shot out of the acid with a chilling shriek, eyestalks blazing red with her mindless anger, and Zluth

unpleasantly as he slithered through the slime-soaked

potent acid. Zluth’s digestive tract groaned and contorted in pain as it was eaten away and reformed

going on up here?” he muttered to himself,

the Slee were aware, this mountain was empty except for those useless termites. Having collected useful samples already, they had hoped to clear out the bugs and nurse a ripe pit of filth within its cavernous halls during this wave. At the last second, they would allow it

to the disturbance, Zluth began to move more stealthily, 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

saw it. Vibrations, travelling through the slime and even

to his own acidic flesh. He stuck to the shadows and

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