Chrysalis

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, even the most basic spell forms in this world are hard work, masterpieces that require thousands of individual strokes of the brush to get right. In some ways, the gravity bomb is the simplest of all my spells, since all I have to do is shove a bunch of mana into a small space and squish it, but what it lacks in complexity, it makes up for with the sheer effort required.

This new spell is like doing both at the same time. I have to paint an incomparable masterpiece, while simultaneously straining my brains to the point of bursting.

Which is a nice twist. Thanks, Gandalf.

The spell form is an ungodly thing, requiring such absurd precision, control and focus that it even puts the Omni-Elemental Construct to shame. My sub-brains have spent every spare moment puzzling, testing and working on mastering this spell, and to be honest, I'm only fully confident with about half of it.

At least I've been able to work out in a vague sort of way what the spell should do. I didn't know what to expect from a new gravity spell, given that I have a limited understanding of how it works. It pulls stuff in, right? The Gravity Well already lets me do that in pretty much every way that matters. I can pull stuff into the well, I can even reverse it and push stuff away from the well. What else is there to do?

Something, apparently. All I've been able to figure out is that the spell should send some sort of force blasting in a forwards direction, like I'm shooting something from an elaborate magic cannon.

So… great!

it contains is lighting up the edges of my senses like a beacon. This bad boy is definitely tier seven. A strong tier seven too. Can't have been hiding too far from the fortress either,

to spin into high gear as I let the Omni-Elemental construct fade to nothing. I can't afford to have anything else taking up my mental resources while I

I start funnelling a mighty river of Gravity mana, pulling it out of me and shaping it expertly. Dozens of minds manipulate the mana, condensing it, folding it, twisting and curving and looping, forming the thousands upon thousands of

as I squeeze out more and more mana. It's a thirsty beast, this spell. I'll have to spend pretty much every drop of

inside each of those three loops in an absurd amount of dense detail. Spiraling coils that twist in and around themselves like those infinite shapes are everywhere, making

the parts I'm comfortable with and into far less familiar territory. At this point, the strain doubles, since I have

their presence known. As suspected, it certainly is a big chap. It's a snail, which is fairly standard, given what we've seen so far in this stratum, but it quickly

the other monsters nearby, a testament to its large spend in Might. Unusual

the thing out and latches onto a nearby monster, giving me a good look at

and from the centre on either side extends a gelatinous

and personal with this thing. And, thankfully, I shouldn't have to, if this all works

better at handling Gravity Mana than the constructs are, thanks to its mutations. More and more mana is dredged

snail sees us, and the cleansed mana, a predictable thing happens. It opens its mouth absurdly wide, gets a mad look in its eyes

hollow sphere, and