Chrysalis

Slowly at first, then with increasing speed, the Garralosh Commander tilted to one side before it came crashing down to the dirt.

BOOM!

The ground vibrated under the weight of its frame as it slammed down, rattling my legs and sending me scrambling to ensure I wasn't crushed as it came down. Ha, ha! That's how it's done! I hope Tiny saw that, he'll be irritated to no end that I managed to bring it the ground before he did. Gweheheheh!

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" someone screamed.

Ah?! Morrelia?!

She's finished off the chaff already?! Focusing my near 360 degree vision I can see that its true, the broken and sliced remains of her foes litter the ground behind her as she charges toward us, her eyes burning with rage and her face twisted in a vicious snarl. Her two blades are held low and pointing directly at the Croca Commander as she charges, her dash skill allowing her to move with unnatural speed.

You want to make your glorious entrance now?! When the work is almost done!? Well, I guess it doesn't matter that much, help is certainly welcome when challenging a monster as powerful as this, even wounded as it is.

And we have wounded it. Crinis has been biting and sawing away at two of the monsters' arms and shoulder for a while now and her work has been rewarded. The scales have been penetrated and ichor is dripping down from between her tentacles. It won't be much longer and the Croc is going to be down to half arms. Even if she doesn't get that far, those two arms don't look as though they'll be much use in the near future, not without some serious healing.

Tiny has done more work, certainly more than I expected him to be able to do. His punches have impressive destructive potential on their own, powered by his massive physique, but with him discharging bolts of electricity into the Croc with each blow he's been savaging the inside of the monster just as badly as he has the outside. Of the three of us, the most raw HP damage has been dealt my the ape, for sure.

My own contributions have been a bit more on the utility side, slowing the monster, gumming it up with acid, weakening its defences and attacking it mentally in order to provide openings for my two pets to take advantage of. I don't mind playing the support role for now but I have to say I don't feel it suits my temperament, I want to be right in the thick of things, slapping down the enemies of justice with my face hands. Hopefully after my next evolution I can address my current physical weakness.

All in good time. I still need to try and finish absorbing the rare core before I can even think of evolution.

Arriving as a storm of metal, Morrelia begins stabbing with incredible ferocity before the Commander can even right itself after falling to the ground. Her two blades don't bite too deep with each strike, but sheer weight of attacks is going to add up quick at the pace she's going. At this speed she might even be the one to score the last hit.

….

w-, wait a sec!

THAT EXPERIENCE IS MIIIIIIIINE!

[Tiny! Hold down the handbags arms on your side. Jump on them if you have to! Crinis! Wrap up his jaws!]

[I might not be able to hold too long Master! Holding its arms together is already stretching my limits!]

[Just do it! I only need you to hold for a little while! We can't let Morrelia steal the experience!]

[What!?] Crinis roared, appalled at the thought, [how dare this woman dream of stealing experience from Master?! It won't happen!]

As if possessed by a demon, Crinis lashed out with her tentacles, wrapping them around the Croca-Commanders jaws and straining to hold them shut.

[Nice, Crinis!] I cheered.

Even as she moved, Tiny had followed orders and leapt bodily onto the creatures other side, landing heavily on its arms before simply throwing his whole body down on them, using his weight to pin the limbs to the ground. The Croca-Commander writhed and fought to resist the grip of the monsters wrestling it to the ground. Had it been at full strength then I doubt we would have been able to achieve this, the damn thing is simply too strong. But here and now, on the surface? This Croc is running on fumes.

This is my chance!

With all four arms accounted for, the twin jaws sealed by the limbs of Crinis and the tails pinned down by the creatures own body, there will never be a better time to strike than now! Morrelia has continued her furious flurry of strikes, her arms and chest coated with the ichor that is now spraying for the deep wounds she is beginning to inflict. I'm not even certain that she's trying to steal the last hit, I think she's just deep in the depths of her rage, but I can't give this up! I've gotta go fast!

Desperate to achieve the last hit, I draw out mana from my core and direct it into my mandibles as I launched myself onto the struggling monsters chest. The Croc struggled even more furiously when it realised it was being stepped on by an ant, literally, but there was nothing it could do in the moment as my mandibles began to glow bright with the influx of raw mana.

I'm going straight for the throat!

*Shattering Bite!*

With a ferocious crunch, my mandibles extended out as my energy manifested itself in air and came down with the satisfying sound of a symphony of smashed scales.

Not enough! Let's keep this wagon rolling!

*Bite!* *Bite!* *Bite!*

With each chomp I dig deeper and the Croca's struggles grow weaker, until finally…

[You have slain level 53 Garralosh Commander]

[You have gained experience]

[You have reached level 27, one skill point awarded]

[You have reached level 28, one skill point awarded]

[You have reached level 29, one skill point awarded]

[You have reached level 30, one skill point awarded]

YASS! The XP is MINE!

Take that Morrelia you poaching - …

"ggggggGGGGGGGGRRRRRROOOOOOOWLLLLLLLL!"

….

What the heck was that?!