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?”

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

tree. Even now,

his partner. She was

he deflected, folding away the device and sliding it within the folds

“I won’t,” Shozzl declared.

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

don’t, I will be forced to report your lax attitude

would have

Blubbeast, perhaps you will find your spawn mother there. I’m certain she still lives,”

blazing red with her mindless anger, and

roiled unpleasantly as he slithered through the slime-soaked tunnels, rising up to the

groaned and contorted in pain as it was eaten away and reformed itself, struggling to break down the flesh of his

to

were going absolutely berserk, which only happened when someone tampered with the blessed filth of the fifth. This in and of itself wasn’t unusual, the so-called ‘civilised’ races always beat back the slime, but as far as 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 overflow out into the waters and contaminate

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 mucus-drenched foot propelling him at great speeds as he rushed towards the source of

travelling through the slime and even

eyes close to his own acidic flesh. He stuck to the shadows and the deeper pools, cautiously advancing, wanting to see what it was that had

and triggered this rage. Except that didn’t explain why it