Chrysalis Chapter 1789 - A Disturbance in the Sludge

“Matron, you must witness this! Something is unfolding out there!”

“How many times must I tell you to cease addressing me as matron?” Eliza’s voice was a low growl, her glare capable of cleaving Abyssal Steel.

As is their wont, the trainees stationed here in the fifth demonstrated a resilience to her menacing stare.

“I shall refrain from doing so again,” Sheriman declared with a grin that didn’t quite reach his eyes, “but truly, you must come and observe this. The recruits are abuzz with it.”

Reluctantly swayed, Eliza let her paperwork descend onto the desk with an audible sigh and rose to her feet. Impatient, Sheriman departed down the corridor with a chuckle, beckoning the officer to quicken her steps.

Indeed not. The woman who was known as ‘the Matron’ to the inhabitants of this isolated bastion—primarily officer trainees—would, under no circumstances, sprint. Instead, she would adopt a measured gait befitting her standing.

Though their shared profession involved slaying monsters, it did not negate the necessity of maintaining personal dignity. For years, she had endeavored, with little success, to instill this principle in the officers of the Legion.

These corridors, narrow and with ceilings low enough to necessitate a head-duck for passage, were characteristic of every passageway within the outpost. Space was a precious commodity in the fifth, where each compartment required robust insulation and atmospheric pressure regulation to counteract the lethal environment beyond the walls.

“Come now,” Sheriman pleaded. “You must make haste!”

“There is no obligation for me to do so,” she retorted, maintaining her deliberate pace. “I shall run only when genuine cause presents itself. If your aspiration is to become an officer in the Abyssal Legion, you must learn to execute the appropriate action for every circumstance.”

Sheriman let out a groan.

“But if this were an emergency, how would you discern it?”

“Because the alarm would be sounding.”

As if summoned, the ambient illumination within the corridor abruptly shifted from a gentle white glow to a stark red, bathing the entire scene in a sanguine hue. Sheriman’s brow furrowed, his gaze lifting in bewilderment.

“Is… is that what I think it is?”

“Cease that appellation at once!” Eliza commanded, her voice sharp as she surged past the baffled student. An alarm would not be triggered without an immediate threat to the base. But how could such a threat materialize so swiftly? There had been no alerts from patrols, nor any disquieting reports from other outposts.

Something had grievously gone awry.

Further ahead, a cluster of perplexed and anxious students were gathered around the sensor equipment console, murmuring amongst themselves. Upon noticing her approach, they recoiled in unison, startled by the unexpected display of urgency.

“Matron!” they vociferated, jostling those behind them to clear a path.

“Return to your quarters,” she ordered curtly. “Immediately!”

“What is transpiring?” Sheriman inquired, braking sharply beside her.

“To your dormitories,” Eliza reiterated, her gaze fixed intently on the display panels. “Are you members of the Legion or merely children? Heed your directives.”

“Yes, Commander!” the youths responded in unison, snapping sharp salutes before turning to depart. Sheriman looked crestfallen and lingered only with evident reluctance, but present circumstances afforded no time for concern over tempestuous young officers.

“This defies logic,” Commander Eliza murmured, scrutinizing the readings presented on the array display. The sensors encircling the outpost indicated a precipitous escalation in the ambient mana intensity.

But why? There was no attendant wave, nor any conceivable reason for such a substantial surge in energy levels, yet it was undeniably occurring. Lacking any alternative, she was compelled to establish contact with the other installations.

She reached for the communications console, drawing back the protective cover plate. Beneath, an array of intricate enchantments shimmered, though its fundamental purpose remained straightforward.

Any form of extended-range communication via magical means was rendered exceedingly difficult within the confines of the fifth. Through considerable expenditure and effort, the Legion had succeeded in laying covert, corruption-resistant conduits, spanning kilometers through subterranean tunnels and even breaching solid rock to interconnect their outposts. Employing these channels, however, carried inherent risks. Even the slightest mana fluctuation could betray their presence to the Krath, who were perpetually seeking vulnerabilities for exploiting the Legion.

For a situation of this gravity, no other recourse existed.

“This is Commander Eliza Sparrek, ranking officer at Vallis Outpost. Do you read?”

She lowered the transmission device, awaiting a response. While not every post maintained continuous monitoring, she held hope that a reply would be forthcoming ere long….

“This is Commander Steven Monsine of Rupes Outpost. I am receiving your transmission.”

“Steven, my sensors are detecting an anomalous spike in mana levels within the surrounding tunnels. Are you observing a similar phenomenon?”

“Hold momentarily, Matron.”

“Desist with that address, Steve.”

“Ah, allow me to check… No, nothing. At least, not thus far.”

Rupes served as the closest outpost to Vallis, positioned at a higher elevation. Whatever disturbance was occurring, its effects had not yet reached their location.

“Steven, I’m observing a thirty percent surge in the last hour.”

“Holy heck! That’s… not ideal.”

“Indeed.”

“Have there been any visual reports of disturbances within the tunnels?”

“My most recent patrol concluded two hours ago, and the next wasn’t slated to depart for another thirty minutes. Whatever this is, it transpired with alarming speed.”

“I’ll dispatch personnel into the tunnels immediately. We require information on the situation as swiftly as possible.”

“Agreed. Ensure your people exercise extreme caution; something anomalous is unfolding.”

“Rupes out.”

The communication line went dead after her fellow commander disconnected. Eliza carefully replaced the comms unit, her mind a whirlwind of anxious thoughts. The region had been plunged into a state of turmoil since those wretched ants had infiltrated the area above, agitating the Krath and inciting widespread panic. Until this moment, the outpost had remained untouched by the chaos. This unexpected event, however, signaled a drastic change; she could conceive of no other explanation for such an extraordinary occurrence.

“What in the world is THAT?!”

Startled, Eliza spun around to find Sheriman, who, having just followed orders to return to her quarters, was now recoiling from a nearby viewport, her expression one of utter horror.

Without even a fraction of a second to scold her student, Eliza rushed across the room, forcefully pushing the girl aside to get a better look. She pressed her face against the small glass opening, pausing momentarily, utterly bewildered by the sight before her.

A moment later, the perplexing image coalesced into a terrifying clarity.

It was an eye. An immensely enormous eye.

A monster!

Her consciousness connected with another, a psychic bridge being rapidly established between them. Eliza inwardly cursed, realizing with dawning dread that her helmet was still resting on her desk.

“Run, you fool!” she bellowed, shoving Sheriman forcefully away and towards the safety of her dormitories. “Seal the doors and don your helmets at once!”

But it was already too late; the mental bridge solidified, and she was utterly at the creature's mercy.

It communicated with her, its voice surprisingly resembling that of a young man rather than the horrific beast of the Dungeon it appeared to be.

[Uh… you guys really need to vacate this area. Like… immediately.]

[You expect us to abandon our safety and become your sustenance? Should I perhaps marinate myself first, monster? If you intend to kill me, then do so, but heed my warning: chew thoroughly, lest I kill you from the inside out.]

The colossal eye receded, revealing the staggering immensity of the creature lurking outside the outpost. The monster spoke again.

[Look, whatever you engage in within the privacy of your personal space station is of no concern to me, but this entire sector is about to be inundated with mucus very… soon. I’m uncertain about the structural integrity of your facility, but I doubt it possesses the resilience to withstand such an event. Therefore… a strategic withdrawal appears to be a prudent course of action?]

Mucus?

[Could this phenomenon be connected to the sudden surge of mana in the vicinity?] Eliza inquired, her gaze sharpening.

[Wow, it’s already happening! I suppose I’d better go try and hold it back. Farewell!]

And then, the mental link was severed.