Chrysalis

Turns out, letting a giant Crocodile take a sizeable chunk out of your business district is exceedingly painful. Like, it hurts a frickin' lot.

FTAGN!

MY ASS!

Is this a hostile takeover of my commercial operations!? What the hell, Croc?!

In that one strike my Hp has plunged perilously low. I activate my regen gland once again to let whatever regeneration that has accumulated up to this point flow into my system and pull me back from the brink.

[Deep Meditation has reached level 2]

I bet it has.

[Cerebral Endurance has reached level 4]

If the brain is a muscle then I've pumped the heck out of mine. I'm certain its sprained. Thank goodness for meditation keeping my mind relatively calm in this moment. It isn't stopping me from rolling around on the ground in agony as I contemplate life without a backside, but it is allowing me the freedom of thought to openly mock myself. So that's something.

The Croc isn't doing any better than me thankfully. I fired both barrels of acid straight into his open mouth. I'm assuming that both sets of jaws share one throat, so the poor sucker has little hope of getting anything out of his mouths. The sticky acid will be hardening and gumming up his pipes just as fast as it burns through that soft, soft inner flesh.

"HSSSSSS! HARRAAAARRR!" the Croc gurgles and hisses as it struggles, falling to the ground as it thrashes about and throws itself off balance due to its one extra heavy leg.

CRASH.

The enormous beast falls heavily into the dirt. It raises all of its available claws to rip and tear at its own neck, ripping away scales and skin with its own hands.

Wait a sec. Is what I think it is? Is it just me or is that Croc turning a little blue?

Sure enough, the Croc is choking. The acid has solidified and blocked its throat, forbidding the passage of air. Even more than the burning effect, the lack of air is really starting to tell on the Croc.

I lie panting as my body slowly tries to regenerate itself. A huge chunk has been ripped out of my carapace and my insides have been exposed to the world. I barely want to move as I watch the Croc gradually struggle less and less, growing more feeble with the passage of time, until finally.

[You have slain level 53 Garralosh Praeceptorem]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level 15]

[You have reached level 16]

[You have reached level 17]

[You have reached level 18]

[You have reached level 19]

[You have reached level 20]

[You have reached level 21]

…… what?

Seven levels? Just like that? And level fifty three?! Just how evolved was this monster? If I think about it, my max level should be forty right now. So this monster is at least one evolution beyond me. There's a chance that it's more though. A strong chance.

Holy crap. We took on something like that and survived? What the hell was I thinking?! Just because we evolved once more I thought I was the bees knees, cock of the walk, the big cheese! There's still a long way to go before I'm truly strong.

Not that I think monsters this powerful are common. Not at this level. Unless I miss my guess, this big fellow must have been fairly old. Old enough to pile up a ton of levels and Biomass …

Biomass.

Just how much Biomass will we be able to get out of this thing?

…

*Gulp*

[Tiny, are you able to move?]

He just grunts in reply, his eyes still on the fallen Croc.

[Get over here and eat. You need to regrow your leg]

As he starts to pull himself forward with his hands once again I look about for Crinis.

[Crinis? Are you all right? Where are you?]

[I'm here, Master] her voice echoes weakly in my mind as I see a tired tentacle wobble into the air a few metres away from me.

I drag myself over and find a withered bundle of tentacles collapsed in a heap around her spherical main body. She's badly burnt.

[Here, grab a hold of my antennae and I'll take you to the food]

[Is the enemy defeated?] she asks.

[He's done for it. Eat and heal yourself. We can talk later]

I feel slightly ashamed as her tentacles tremble as she reaches up to grasp my antennae. Her grip is feather light, nothing like the strength she should be able to exert. I carefully use my antennae to lift her off the ground and carry her towards the Croc before letting her down.

"Time to eat, senior?" Vibrant asks cheerfully.

I sigh.

"Yes Vibrant, time to eat."

Out of all of us, it's Vibrant who came out the least hurt. Mind you, she still has a long crack in the side of her carapace that is yet to heal. At least the wound is no longer deep enough that I can see the muscle attached to the inside of her exo-skeleton.

Weary to the bone, the four of us crawl to the still remains of the massive Croca. How much Biomass would a creature of this age and evolutionary level contain?

Tentatively, I reach forward to take a bite.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass, Garralosh Praeceptorem. One Biomass awarded]

[You have unlocked the basic profile of Garralosh Praeceptorem]

[Garralosh Praeceptorem, Garralosh Commander. Among the oldest of Garralosh' children, the commanders are powerful melee combatants. They feature two fire glands which are often mutated in complementary ways. Beware their powerful regenerative abilities and incredible physical strength. These creatures were personally reared by their parent to be leaders of her offspring and carry potent auras. Approach with caution]

Among the oldest of the children? So not necessarily the oldest? And what else is this? Personally reared by the big Croc itself? I guess that explains why the thing is so tough, if it had a big bad monster looking out for it from a young age.

Does that mean that Garralosh is going to come here for revenge is it? Surely not!

Please for the love of Gandalf let that not happen.

Suddenly nervous, I tuck into my food with increased gusto, chowing down vigorously in the hopes of healing my physical wounds and dispelling my nervousness. As I eat, something remarkable begins to happen.

[you have gained one Biomass]

[you have gained one Biomass]

[You have gained one Biomass]

…..

So fast!

I can feel it as well. As the food is consumed it feels heavy, dense even, inside my stomachs. Whatever magical process goes on in there, the pure essence, whatever it is that creates Biomass, is flooding into my body with every bite.

This isn't food. It's gold!

Pure gold.

Greedily now I chow down and notice the frenzy with which the others are eating has also increased tenfold. Even Crinis, a withered husk of herself only moments ago, is now tearing huge chunks of food off with every bite.

Oh no you don't!

With the mana I have in my core I activate infused mandibles to enable me to cut off larger chunks of food and increase my eating speed.

I won't be outdone! Gimme dat Biomass!

OM NOM NOM.