Chrysalis

Name: Odin Malum

Level: 4 (I)

Might: 45

Toughness: 36

Cunning: 31

Will: 32

HP: 58/72

MP: 0/0

Skills:

Demonic Convergence (I) Level 1; Penetrating Bite (II) Level 2; Advanced Demon Claw (II) Level 3; Crawl (I) Level 1; Mana Sense (I) Level 2; Leaping Strike (I) Level 3;

Mutations:

Demon Eyes +1; Infernal Claw +5; Purgation Maw +5; Tar Hide +1; Pocket Stomach +3;

Species: Initial Demon Larva

Skill points: 1

Biomass: 6

Clinging to the wall, I take a few moments to breathe. Thirty metres up, I was mostly clear of the ruckus below, though I knew that at any moment more of my species could emerge and begin to fight. After the second fight, things had taken a downhill turn and conditions in this area had deteriorated at an alarming rate. It turned out that Initial Demon Larvae were innately hostile to each other. Not only had I been jumped by the creature which had emerged from behind, forcing me to engage in a sudden battle to the death, others had emerged at the same time or shortly thereafter and had immediately set about a noisy melee, clawing, biting and screaming at each other.

Which would have been manageable, except that the noise attracted more larvae and in less than a minute's time, the entire plateau of blasted rock on which I'd emerged was covered in a roiling brawl in which absolutely no quarter was given. That's not how I operate. I like things to be a little more planned, a little more orderly. Without any option, I was forced to get my hands dirty and seize what I could as I fought my way out. I'd sustained wounds in the process but I found that they healed at an accelerated rate after I consumed further Biomass, which I did whenever I could. It was difficult though, since the moment a fight was won, every larva nearby would abandon their own conflict to rush over and try to seize the Biomass for themselves. The moment nothing remained, the brawl would break out all over again. What little food I'd managed to gain had been used to fuel my recovery and upgrade my weapons. Offense trumps defence.

After fighting clear of the mess, I climbed the nearby wall and now I finally have a chance to survey the area. Looking down I can still see hundreds of other demon larvae locked in mortal combat, every crevice of black stone home to at least one such battle. They were bestial, mindless creatures, without any sort of cunning or strategy. All they did was fight, seemingly without end and without purpose, though I believe I may discover something in the near future which might shed some light on the matter. Already some of the creatures below were beginning to show some level of dominance. Strong enough to win a fight and seize some of the spoils and develop themselves, using the Biomass to enhance their strength and press their advantage further.

If this natural cycle played itself out, then most of the larvae that had come to this plateau to fight would become fodder for the few, perhaps even the one, survivor.

And it was a plateau. I'd originally thought the wall to my side was the edge of whatever space I was in, but it isn't. I was reborn lower down on this wall on what amounted to a ledge, jutting out of the side of a tall pillar rising toward the ceiling impossibly high above. It had been hard to notice before, since my attention was directed inward and at my immediate surroundings, but now that I take in the broader picture I'm slowly becoming aware of just where I am. In order to get a better view, I decide to continue to climb this wall until I reach the top. I can see the edge from where I am, possibly another seventy metres above.

My arms are powerful, and although my body is a large fleshy sack, they are enough to keep propelling me toward the top, although they are trembling and weak by the time I reach the ledge. Pulling myself over the lip, I dominate my weakness and force myself to dive into cover without pausing to rest. To my relief, there are no enemies present to take immediate advantage of my temporary weakness. Once my strength returns, I drag myself out and begin to poke my noseless face about. What I see is a narrow, mostly flat stretch that is roughly circular that terminates less than a hundred metres away in a sheer drop. All around me, a vast, underground expanse stretches outwards to the limits of my vision.

Feeling stunned by the bizarre, illogical geography around me, I turn back to the edge behind me and look down. I can see below me the ledge on which I was born, still swarming with demons battling against each other. Beyond that, the ground drops away several hundred metres more to what I believe must be the floor of this vast, vast cavern. As far as I can see, in every direction, I see exactly the same thing. Blasted rock. Boiling lava. And demons. So, so many demons. The little fleshy bags with arms that are my fellow demon siblings are everywhere. Thousands. Tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands. To the horizon of my sight, where things grow fuzzy and blurred in the distance, I can still see them.

What's more, stalking amongst them, I can see larger demons of several different forms, slaying the smaller larvae with ease and engaging in running battles against each other. Further off, emerging from the floor are pillars rising high into the air, perhaps miles high, to connect the floor to the distant ceiling. Nothing that I see makes sense from an Earth perspective, the very idea of something such as this existing underground makes completely no sense.

And yet here I am.

I'm not sure exactly what is happening, but it's clear that there is some sort of race on. A race to fight, consume and grow. Only the winner would be allowed to survive. This blasted landscape covered in demons. Am I sure this isn't actually hell? No matter, it's perfect. This is the perfect environment for Odin Malum to thrive. I destroyed others to live in my past life and I'll do the same in this one.

The voice mentioned that I can mutate when I reached +5, which is apparently the limit for my level of evolution. I need to mutate immediately, seize whatever advantage I can, then return to the ledge and fight for resources. I'll need to be strong if I'm going to traverse the floor below. This was going to be a challenge.