Chrysalis Chapter 1755 - Remember Me?

From the details available to me, the Krath outpost lies in this area. Solant provided a bit more intel than just that, though locating those slugs has always proven challenging. It's even tougher since our scouts can't venture safely beyond the purified mana zone.

The Colony maintains a regime of absolute operational secrecy. Capturing even one ant spells catastrophe, requiring an all-out, merciless retaliation. Such incidents have occurred a handful of times—the Krath are sly and elusive foes, after all—and the Colony resorted to drastic actions to rescue the prisoners before interrogation broke them.

Thorough preparation, hazard reduction, and a cascade of contingency strategies have kept the slugs at bay thus far, yet our insight into events outside our borders remains scant at most.

Naturally, my clever siblings have devised alternative methods for intel collection. Taming beasts from fifth stratum creatures is... no small feat, to put it mildly, yet they're immensely useful. Evidently, a covert skirmish has erupted between the Colony and the Krath over pest eradication, with the slugs frantic to detect and eradicate every pet the Colony crafts. Meanwhile, the core shapers, aided by Formo, hustle to refine, enhance, alter, and advance their companions, staying one step ahead of the Krath pursuers. I would've relished a chat with the wise sophos, but Solant was insistent upon my return. Fingers crossed for soon.

With the Pure Core's boost, I can allocate far more of my thoughts to exploration and reconnaissance, sensing the mana and surveying the terrain nearby. Executing this in the fifth stratum is arduous, as even mana perception succumbs to the stratum's corrosive influence. Past a threshold, my perceptions blur, like data shredded by static.

Fortunately, that's not the detection method I'm employing against the Krath.

I navigate the passages with caution. A drawback of my immense size is the added struggle to dodge the foulest barriers. Occasionally, I must shove through what resembles discharge from an infected sinus, and it irks me greatly. I scorch myself pure several times, yet I restrain my pyromaniac urges to avoid tipping off the Krath.

A pointless endeavor, likely. They must have detected me the instant I exited the blue mana.

It's okay.

Antennae undulating, I probe meticulously, striving to capture the subtlest and most delicate sensations at my disposal. Krath, remember, generate scant gravitational pull.

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I'd estimate a typical Krath weighs less than a standard human, despite the bulkiest slugs tipping the scales higher. Compressed and stationary, spotting the wretches is nigh impossible, even when I'm certain they're lurking. Luckily, they remain oblivious to my tracking technique and lack countermeasures.

That's precisely how I locate my initial slug. A crafty specimen it is. The faintest ripple in the gravity waves serves as my sole indicator, but I zero in relentlessly, unwilling to miss the tiniest sign. Upon nearer scrutiny, a definite presence registers, so I observe more intently, without drawing attention.

Spotting zilch via sight or other faculties piques my curiosity further. A monster would at least be visible, maybe its core detectable. But nope, nada.

That doesn't confirm a Krath's presence outright. This is the fifth stratum! Denizens here are devious, sly, treacherous beasts. I wouldn't wish to tangle with any native. Once more, I examine, perceive, twitch my antennae, deploy my intellect and vision to verify thoroughly.

Then it stirs.

Aha! Feeling jittery now, eh, little Krath? With me so near, maintaining composure and stillness proves taxing? Tough luck! That minuscule motion, trivial as a toe's twitch in the bigger picture, suffices.

I spot you.

Spread flat to an ultrathin sheet, the slug has camouflaged its hide to merge seamlessly with the surrounding mold. Candidly, it's virtually undetectable. Without the gravity waves pinpointing the spot, I'd never glimpse the creature in a lifetime.

Your own weight has doomed you, slug.

Nevertheless, unearthing a solitary slug isn't the objective. Slowly, I broaden my awareness, fanning out to interpret the waves, the mana, the works. Primarily, I'm seeking fellow Krath, but also fissures and hidden crevices in the stone. Detecting them is arduous, yet they too perturb the gravity amid the solid rock.

Eventually, I relent. No detections. Seems like a solitary sentinel clings to the wall.

Time to handle it—I can't risk it fleeing to relay observations.

Opting for blatant directness, I extend an antenna and prod it. Far squishier than stone ought to be, confirming I've nailed the hapless slug.

Still, it remains inert.

So I jab again.

At that, the slug swivels, ballooning swiftly before spewing a glowing, toxic ooze aimed at my antennae.

Ha! Anticipated that!

My antenna dodges clear before contact, leaving the slug gazing upward. As expected, it self-destructs to evade capture.

Onto the subsequent one.