Chrysalis Chapter 1747 - Descending

Existence had always been a harsh trial for a creature like her, a truth she'd grasped right from the instant of her emergence.

Dripping with foul ichor, tainted and ravaged by poison, she scraped along the passage with her six damaged limbs, each one impaired in its own cruel fashion. But if she lingered there, certain doom awaited her. Just like every time before, pressing onward remained her sole path.

She couldn't fathom why those slug beasts had pursued her with such relentless fury, yet as she hauled her battered body into the passage descending to the lower level, relief washed over her—she'd escaped them at last. Sparks danced over her exoskeleton, searing shut her injuries, purging the foul taint, and unleashing torrents of agony that crashed through her frame.

Her jaws clicked together as she braced against the torment. Lacking this power, survival in the poisonous depths of the fifth would have been impossible. Even relying on it, the wounds and marks etched into her would demand ages to heal properly.

Shaky on her feet, she halted briefly, enveloped by the tunnel's pitch-black gloom. In her wake, the savage poisons of the forsaken layer churned and frothed, raging like a beast denied its quarry. Before her, the mana grew dense beyond measure. At the passage's far end, a thunderhead cloaked in violet bolts twisted as if alive. From this distance, fierce gusts battered her feelers, making the fine hairs on her body tremble.

This realm appeared far more suited to her nature. Maybe now she could truly begin anew, piecing together the existence stolen from her so early in her awakening.

Rage coursed through her body, and she clicked her mandibles once more, irked by the fresh recall of those grim events. Back then, she'd been far frailer, scarcely advanced. From that defeat onward, she'd sworn to become tougher, wiser, more capable of safeguarding her possessions.

Those errors wouldn't happen a second time.

After some recovery, she lifted herself onto her limbs again and pushed ahead. Though joy surged at abandoning the nightmarish fifth, she refused to belittle the sixth. Threats only escalated deeper in the Dungeon—a brutal truth she'd endured repeatedly during her descent. What perils might hide in the sixth? No one could predict.

Indeed, any carelessness spelled doom. With every sense sharpened, she inched toward the threshold. As soon as her antennae brushed the mist, they ignited with activity, her perceptions flooding with fresh details. Mana, heavy enough to overwhelm, assaulted her, brimming with potent energy, burdened by a thickness and mass that teased her essence.

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Craving further discovery, she pressed on, her claws clamping firmly. Visibility remained zero, the fog churning too thickly for her vision, but her antennae revealed volumes.

When she at last pierced the veil, the passage's rim dropped off, forcing her to grip the stone and maintain her hold, suspended inverted, feelers twitching.

A colossal cavern yawned below, dominated by a furious tempest. Blasts of wind, mighty and razor-edged, capable of carving stone, howled across the void amid endless rumbles of thunder.

Absolutely, this felt worlds apart. The previous layer had fallen short, to put it mildly. She'd aimed to seize a domain there, shielded from the prying gazes and clutching fingers of the tiny pests swarming the fourth, only for it to reveal itself as unlivable.

This domain looked far brighter. Absent were the venoms, the slimy horrors, and thus far, the little intruders. At last, she could seize back what was lost. Her shell hummed with eagerness for the future, though she swiftly reined in the thrill. Certainties eluded her still. Scouting and probing came first, allowing sound judgment. Only through the chase, assessing quarry and surroundings, would she gauge her potential flourishing here.

With caution guiding her, she kept her grasp on the stone and started probing. Advancing deliberately, she circled the passage's mouth, expanding her route gradually, feelers in constant motion as her thoughts probed the wildly churning mana.

Annoyingly, the thick haze blocked her sight, yet she gathered knowledge all the same.

Beasts soared within, their essences suggesting modest might, though they might mask greater power. If she'd mastered such deception, surely others had too. After further mending, she could prove ready to confront one.

Her wings stretched along her sides, itching to launch, yet patience held her, as she pursued her deliberate, careful survey.

For all her vigilance, remnants of the fifth's venom lingered in her veins, along with potential burrowers that demanded expulsion to avert worsening harm. With those cleared, the hunt would commence.

Success there would lead her to seek a fitting spot to declare her territory.

Thrill welled up once more, and now she let it flow unchecked. This spot simply felt right, like the cradle she was destined for from the start. Her brood may have perished earlier, but she'd advanced tremendously since, guaranteeing the upcoming clutch would surpass the young she'd lost.

The Hive's revival loomed near.

With wings quivering, then thrumming fiercely, the Queen released her hold on the stone and plunged into the gale.