Looking at the thick trunk of the large tree before me I flex my mandibles cautiously. Hopefully these infused mandibles are up to the challenge.
Ignoring the deafening noise of the little chimps above me I wander up to the base of the tree. The aggravation of the monsters only becomes more intense as I approach, the small creatures look almost comical with their faces twisted in incandescent rage, completely infuriated that a single enemy would dare approach their territory.
Turning my head I can see three workers have followed my trail to the area where I had finished it, about fifty meters away from the tree. Once they arrive there they muddle about, turning here and there, looking for the location of the food which the trail had indicated to them existed in this place.
Not to worry chaps, I'll be serving it up to you shortly!
Infused mandibles!
As soon as I activate it with a thought, mana begins to flood out of my core, rushing through my body and into my mandibles. The build of energy becomes more and more intense until I almost wonder if there is anything I can't bite through with all this power.
Combined with the strength generated by my active skills I can pack a tremendous force into every bite.
Under the bewildered and disbelieving eyes of an entire tree full of monstrous apes I rear back my head and then darting forward I unleash the full force of my might upon the tree trunk.
Piercing bite!
Crunch!
The sharp edges of my mandibles sink deep into the strange wood these trees are composed of, sending splinters flying into the air and bouncing off my carapace. After this bite I don't cut off the flow of mana, letting it continue to pour out of my core and fuse with my jaws, vastly increasing their strength.
Again, piercing bite!
Crunch!
And again!
Crunch!
My mana is depleting at a furious pace, the power of these mandibles does come at a steep cost. For a monster with a poorly developed core they would be almost completely useless but thankfully I've been able to reinforce my core a quite a few times and I'll only continue to improve it further in the future!
Crunch!
The apes above are completely apoplectic with rage now, almost foaming at the mouth in their anger. I think they may have finally realised what I'm up to, some of them are starting to descend the tree in order to contest my actions.
But it's too late.
Crunch!
CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAK!!!
Oh! Here we go!
I secure Tiny on my back and dash away from the tree, moving across the path of descent and turning my head so I can watch the show.
The huge tree, with all of its shocked occupants on board, slowly begins to lean over.
The apes become completely silent in horror as their world literally starts to fall around them, whilst they are still in it.
TIMMMBEEEERRRRR!
CRASH.
With increasing speed the tree tilts and then falls to the ground with a tremendous boom, the sound of whistling leaves and shattering branches resounds through the forest.
Followed by the indignant howls of hundreds of tiny apes!
The three workers stare silently at the bizarre spectacle of a horde of injured apes pouring out of the wreckage of their tree home like angry demons. Possible even to a monster ant this site is truly something fresh and original.
For the colony!
Gleefully I charge forward into the gathering throng of ape monsters, Tiny hooting and roaring on my back like an enraged knight, who is also an ape.
The small creatures are scattered by my larger frame, literally bouncing off my diamond carapace when they attempt to strike back.
My assault sparks the workers into action! There is a fellow ant in a battle! Fight! Food! Two of the ants immediately turn and sprint back towards the colony. I'm not shocked by this, they aren't running away in fear or anything like that, these workers know no fear, but are instead going to summon reinforcements from the nest with all the speed they can muster.
The final remaining ant immediately leaps into battle alongside me, latching onto the nearest ape with its jaws and engaging in deadly combat.
My mission now is to delay and keep this one worker alive until our brethren arrive for the battle!
The apes are screeching mad as they rush to slay the would be attackers, punching and kicking at me, some of them even picking up improvised weapons like branches and rocks to try and increase their damage.
Muahahahaha!
Useless!
All of your efforts are for nothing!
My newly improved diamond carapace is the perfect defence against these sorts of impacts, my HP isn't even dropping at all! The small monsters physical strength is surely far beneath my toughness to begin with, when the advancement of my carapaces against physical damage is also taken into consideration then there is very little that these chimps can do to me with their strength alone.
I rampage through their ranks joyfully, knocking them aside and sweeping them from before me with large swings of my mandibles. The anger and fury on the monsters faces only grows more intense as I play with them and they redouble their efforts, grouping up to leap through the air and bring their fists down on my head with all of the force they can muster.
...
Is that all you've got?
It barely tickles!
Whenever I see my lone ally starting to get surrounded I charge towards him clear away the swarm and draw the aggro back to myself. This is actually a lot of fun!
ZAP!
Ouch! Why you little!
So the little chimps have started to bring out their skills eh? Turning around I can see one of the apes drawing his fist back after punching me in the side, electricity still sparking off his arm. You little monsters can use your electric skills huh?
Checking my stats I can see my Hp has dropped by one. Tsk. When I evolved I was careful to increase my internal resistance as well as my external defence but against elemental damage like this my diamond carapace doesn't help at all. Even though I'm able to almost completely resist the attack it's still enough to break through my defences and drain my Hp.
Witnessing the success of this strike more and more chimps begin channelling electricity into their hands, tiny jolts of electricity sparking off their fur and the energy builds and builds.
I won't let you!
I start to rampage through their ranks even more vigorously than before, sending the apes flying before they can fully prepare their strike. Tiny is hooting and hollering from his position on my back, occasionally lashing out with a fist or foot whenever one of the apes gets too close.
Despite my best efforts several more strikes land on my body, discharging their electrical force through my frame and my Hp drops by a few more points.
Maybe you chimps are going to get somewhere after all...
Kidding!
Regeneration!
The flood of icy sensation powers through my body, repairing all of the internal damage caused and brings my Hp back to full in a matter of seconds.
All of your efforts are for nothing, apes!
Checking on Tiny I can see that he remains completely unaffected by the electricity that is coursing through my body. Since he is actually an evolved version of these smaller chimps he is no doubt powerfully resistant to electrical damage to start with, I'm not sure if he has even noticed it to be honest.
In the middle of the melee I turn to check on my ally and notice that more ants have finally joined the battle and when I look in the direction of the trail more and more are making their way down and into the fight.
Now the real power of the colony will begin to show!
-x-X-x-
More and more reinforcements appeared, plunging directly into battle without fanfare.
I was once again struck by the coordination and eerie silent aggression of the ants.
If a wave of soldiers were to appear, their gallant charge would be accompanied by shouted battle cries, faces adorned with noble expressions of sacrifice, determination and the thirst for victory.
This scene would stir the hearts of all who saw it, bringing tears to the eyes of elf maidens as they hastily composed epic poetry and songs about the dashing heroes who had so boldly, so heroically gone into battle that day, songs that would live on forever.
This moving scene would never occur when the colony advanced into battle however.
The workers made no sound, no battle cry, as they advanced on the enemy. As soon as the ants were close enough to detect the battle they simple ran forward to engage the foe, their cold eyes showed not a flicker of fear, hesitation, joy or triumph.
To me, this behaviour is heroic in another way. The ants are truly selfless, not considering preserving their own health, willing to sacrifice their life at a moment's notice to further the growth the colony. They needed no high ideals to do this, they were not seeking reward or riches, in the minds of the workers this was their task, their job, their purpose in life.
I appreciate you workers! Even if nobody else cares, I Anthony, am deeply moved by your single minded dedication!
Viva the workers!
Viva the colony!
It is for the sake of these workers and their growth that I have launched this anti-ape crusade. From the time I approached the tree and cut it down to all the time I spent charging through the horde of monsters and knocking them around I've been careful to injure the apes but never deal the finishing blow.
No, I have been saving all of this delicious Xp and Biomass for the workforce. After evolving and levelling up I doubt I'd be able to benefit much from these apes anyway. Instead of taking all of the resources for myself I'll help the colony by creating opportunities for the workforce to develop its strength, absorbing Biomass and gaining levels, as well as providing food for the colony to grow the next generation.
More and more workers are flooding into the battle, as many as fifty of the monstrous ants have engaged in bitter combat by this time, gradually overwhelming the apes with their vicious mandibles and acid bombardment.
The scene has become increasingly chaotic as acid rains from the sky upon ants and apes locked in deadly combat. Everywhere I turn there are groups of monsters battling to the death, workers darting here and there, using their mandibles to savagely bite down on their enemies even as the apes scratch, punch and discharge their electricity towards the insects.
What a vicious melee!
I continue to run interference through the ranks of the enemy, scattering them whenever it seems like a worker will become surrounded or threatened. With all of these factors working together it isn't long before the entire horde of spark chimps has been defeated, becoming fuel for the powerful engine that is the colony.
Feeling tired and satisfied, I survey the battlefield. Workers are picking through the remains of the apes, some of them already eating, others picking up the food and beginning to transport it back to the colony.
The workers are smarter than they appear in many areas, they know how much food the colony needs and will be sure that any excess isn't wasted. Particularly since the first creature to eat a food source is the one to gain the Biomass from it, passing on food stored in the social stomach will cause the worker to miss out on nutrition but not Biomass.
Perhaps this is why the workers transport so much back to the nest, this way the Queen and the workers who are almost full time helping the brood are also able to amass Biomass points. Since we have successfully secured more food than the colony realistically needs to keep all of the members going today, the workers will take it all for themselves rather than let any of it go to waste.
In this way my goals have been met.
I'm sure lots of workers were able to gain levels during this melee, not to mention the huge amount of Biomass consumed will allow many of the ants to mutate and improve the performance of their bodies. This will make the workforce more effective in fighting and growing the colony which will in turn allow the workers to amass more experience and Biomass as they battle, creating a positive feedback loop that I have no intention of slowing down.
Oh no, get ready workers, there are no breaks on this train.
Heheheheh.
With all of this food lying about I make sure to take my own 'tax', as well as letting Tiny get his fill. My little ape friend is getting larger at an increasingly rapid pace at the moment, almost visibly growing with every passing meal. It won't be long before he doesn't comfortably fit on back and will have to get around on his two feet.
About time you slacker!
After filling up on the spark chimps I only manage to gain three Biomass, a long way from the wealth I accrued from the berserkers. Those points immediately go into Regeneration +2 and Pheromones +1. The regeneration gland has proven to be incredibly useful already and I'll stick to my commitment to prioritise its growth. If I'm going to be conducting more battles with the workers like this then I can see the value in increasing my pheromones, allowing me to direct the flow of the ants faster and with less effort.
Since the colony has been provided with ample food for the time being I'll wait until my next campaign and spend some time working on my magic skills.
I really have too much to do at the moment! In addition to fuelling the growth of the colony I want to find more monster cores so I can reinforce myself to the limit before evolution as well as level up all of my body to +5, get to level ten and find the space to improve all three of my foundation magic skills!
Anthony, you are one busy ant!
Before I leave the area I notice that there are a few workers who are being left behind by the others, struggling with injury. Despite my best efforts I couldn't be everywhere at once, some of the ants being injured was inevitable. I'm pleased enough that there were no casualties on our side but it still gets my heart down to see these workers struggling with their wounds. One hatchling in particular has suffered three injured legs and cannot walk effectively, feebly dragging itself along the ground towards the colony.
Even with half of its legs broken and unusable this little worker is still carrying an ape in its mouth as it pulls itself through the dirt back to the nest.
Now that, is some dedication.
Moving quickly I make my way over to the tiny hatchling and gently pick them up in my mandibles. No worries little chap, this trip is on me.
Tiny, completely stuffed by this point, painfully hauls himself onto my back where he flops listlessly. Is this a food coma? Perhaps he went too far this time..
With my small passenger in my mandibles, who is turn carrying food in their own mandibles I make my way back to the nest safely.
When I arrive I head straight down to the Queens chamber where I find mother already busy healing a few of the injured workers, tapping them on the head with antennae to pass on the healing energy.
Good on you Queen, keeping the workforce going full strength!
I deposit my fellow worker before the Queen and look up to her gazing down at me with approval twinkling in her large eyes. Before I leave she gives me a quick pat on the head with one foreleg and moves to heal the hatchling I delivered.
She really is smarter than the workers by quite a bit...
Time to go practice some magic!
-x-X-x-
My new mana practice is a little more involved than my old one, since I now have three skills to train instead of one.
Mana shaping is fairly straightforward to train. All I have to do is draw the mana out of my core and then, rather than simply releasing it from my body as I'd done before, I instead hold the mana within myself and then attempt to create the simple symbols and designs that the skill in my mind suggests I need to learn how to create.
I can only imagine that combined with other skills these shapes will enable me to cast spells in some way.
External Mana manipulation is similarly simple to practice. All I have to do is extend my senses to grasp hold of the Mana in the air around me and attempt to shift it around. Sounds simple right?
Unfortunately the above two exercises are completely mentally exhausting, even more than my original Mana Manipulation practice. I'm so damn tired!
If I have to keep doing this every day for Gandalf knows how long I'll be totally flat mentally before I have a chance to out hunting!
I'm starting to reconsider my earlier opinion on having extra brain centers. During my next evolution I might take a look and see if it's possible to attach a sub brain to my core or somewhere else in order to help carry some of this mental burden.
I can't help but feel such an addition would make practice far less burdensome and therefore much more efficient!
What's an extra brain anyway? I've got six legs now where in the past I only had two and frankly, I have to say it's an improvement. There's no need to get so fussy about such a small thing as the number of brains one has!
Perhaps....
After exhausting myself and not receiving any levels for it I drag myself back out of the nest for the next part of my day, Tiny once again hitching a ride on my back.
How long is it going to take until he's actually going to be useful? He might be adorable in his mini form but I'd rather he was larger and a bit more capable...
He has been growing in size with every meal so far, to be honest he's actually nearly twice as large as he was when he was first formed out of the monster core, consequently he's been able to eat more food and grow even faster. At his current pace I think he'll probably be larger than me after four more days. How long it will take for him to reach his original massive size I have no idea.
As we make our way up the tunnel to the ant hill in the large open space I can sense some agitation from the few workers ahead of me. Is something going on?
When we reach the top of the tunnel and emerge into the open air I take a moment to quickly scan our surroundings. On the edge of the trees not far from the ant hill I can see the source of the workers unease, two massive wolf-like creatures, their powerful, draconic tails twisting and lashing the air behind them are prowling back and forth, watching the much smaller ants with greed in their eyes.
These guys are most certainly the evolved form of the wolf-dragon cubs that I'd encountered long ago in the upper tunnels. Compared to their smaller selves, these guys are easily twice the size, their fangs and claw are much larger, not to mention their most potent weapon that muscular tail. I well remember the shattering force they can exert when swinging that fearsome thing around.
In fact, when I study the two beasts more closely I can see the tail of one is significantly larger than the others, it also appears to glimmer in the light, as if covered by some kind of metallic sheen above the scales.
Could this particular monster have achieved a mutation advancement for its tail? I'll need to be careful...
I can't help but wonder why these two have appeared here and now ... are they related to the nest of cubs the colony raided a few days ago? Or are they simply eyeing off the tremendous amount of Biomass represented by an entire colony of much smaller and weaker creatures like ants?
Huh. If they try and raid this ant hill they are simply courting death! I'll easily rally the brethren and bring them down!
In fact, even as the much larger monsters are eyeing off the colony, I'm busy eyeing them off, greed slowly accumulating in my heart.
If I'm able to take down these two there might even be a full level in it for me, not to mention the Biomass! Between the two monsters I could expect five or even more point! Enough to possibly mutate my antennae and then perhaps another body part as well.
Once the though enters my mind it is proving extremely hard to shake...
Get a hold on yourself Anthony!
Don't let greed push you to an unreasonable action! If I were to attempt to fight here there is zero chance that the colony won't get involved and I don't want any workers to die randomly due to my actions.
Does that mean I let these two stalkers go?
Absolutely not! Are you crazy!
Acting casual, as casual as I can act when I'm a giant ant monster, I join in a trail of workers drifting into the forest.
These guys never stop after all, even if I'm practicing magic or having a nap the workforce is always going to be out scouting and fighting in order to secure food and right now is no different.
Once I've followed the trail far enough that the plant life is obscuring me from view I immediately enter shark mode and stealth into the undergrowth, making my way back around until I eventually arrive behind the last position I'd seen the wolves.
Sure enough the pair of them are still there on the edge of the tree line, pacing back and forth as they watch the ant hill.
Going to take a bite out of the colony eh?
What if the colony were to take a bite out of you?
Chuckling to myself inside my mind I look around until I can find a nearby tree that I think will give me the view I need.
Finding a likely candidate I climb up and cast my eyes about. Yes, from up here I have a clear view of the two wolf dragons. Not only a clear view, also a clear shot.
If these guys want a taste of an ant, I'll first let them sample the products of my commercial plaza!
POW!
The acid sizzles as it arcs through the air towards the two prowling wolf dragons. It's unfortunate that they had their backs to me and I wasn't able to aim for their faces, still, with a satisfying splash my first salvo hits just above the front left leg of my target.
Just after the first shot strike I launch my second!
POW!
Without time to aim carefully this shot isn't nearly as accurate, catching the second monster on the flank.
Both creatures immediately snarl viciously as the acid begins its deadly work, sticking and hardening even as it begins to eat away into their body.
I'm very satisfied with the first shot, catching the wolf dragon just above its leg will hopefully work well to restrict its mobility, something these monsters have in spades. The second is a little unfortunate but with the time restraints I wasn't prepared to take the risk and potentially miss completely so I aimed for a much broader area.
I don't want to underestimate these creatures, they look powerful and extremely fast, with their long legs and powerfully built bodies I'm sure they would outpace me on open ground. I'm aiming to use my acid to maximum effect by restraining their speed and getting early damage in before they close with me.
Once they recover from their initial shock the two monsters react quickly, springing apart and running into the woods even as they roar as the acid slowly bites into them.
Thankfully the first target I hit is already showing slightly reduced speed, that one leg not moving as freely as it could.
Even as they run the two monsters are constantly scanning their surroundings with all of their senses. Since these guys are part wolf I assume they have inherited a powerful sense of smell. I highly doubt they have those large snouts for nothing!
Fortunately my stealth displays its strength at this moment. I remain as still as possible, maximising the benefit of my skill and the two large monsters are unable to pinpoint my location, even if they have a good idea where the shots came from based on the impact they experienced.
Still as a harmless mouse I wait, perched amongst the branches towards the top of my tree. As I hide, I watch, like a hawk, as the two wolves slow down and start prowling. Rumbling growls are emitted by the two monsters as they stalk the area, hunting for my trail.
Haha!
Exactly as I planned.
Now that my enemies have been kind enough to slow down I once again take careful aim, looking over my shoulder to direct my acid as carefully as possible.
POW!
Bullseye!
The wolf dragon howls in agony as my acid splatters directly into its face, covering its eyes and nose before sticking and hardening, destroying its senses.
Take that you stupid dog!
Swinging its head in frustration the monster tries to swipe away the acid with its paws and when that fails it starts to furiously rub its head into the vegetation and dirt in a frantic effort to remove the hateful stuff.
Sorry wolf, my restrictive acid isn't so easy to get rid of!
My last shot has revealed my location at last and the second hound glares up into the tree, finally locating my form high up in the tree.
Hello down there!
The wolf bunches its legs underneath itself, preparing to leap but then it surprises me, lunging forward and swinging its tail with ferocious force. That strange metallic tail crashes into the tree, at the moment of impact I hear a tremendous crack and before my boggling eyes the trunk of the tree directly shatters.
Holy moly! Are you serious Gandalf?! He smashed straight through this trunk in one strike!
Not that I have time to think about that, I'm falling!
From my vantage point high in the tree I see the tail cleave directly through the trunk and immediately the tree begins to rapidly collapse to the ground. Before the tree hits the ground I throw myself clear of my perch, using all of my legs to push off as hard as I can. I can only hope that I manage to propel myself far enough that I make it clear of the crash zone.
Poor Tiny is thrown from my back as I hit the ground and roll, yelping in indignation as he smacks into the dirt nearby. Hopefully he'll be ok, I don't have enough time to worry about my small ape companion at the present moment since I'm terrified a rather large part wolf, part dragon monster may be about to pounce and smash my head in with its bizarrely potent tail!
However when I finally manage to right myself and take in my surroundings I am once again surprised.
Where the hell did these guys come from?!
Emerging from the forest are the most demonic looking rabbits I have ever seen or imagined. Bristling black fur, gleaming red eyes, savagely muscled frames and instead of the usual charming rabbit front teeth, vicious fangs protrude from a hungry maw.
What's more, there are dozens of them!
Leaping out of the woods the creatures are slightly smaller than me but still larger than a hatchling worker. Immediately they pounce upon the two wolf-dragons, gnawing and biting at the much larger creatures, I even see some jump with their powerful hind legs, turn in the air and deliver powerful kicks to the flanks of the monsters.
Hey! Those are mine!
It seems the sound of combat has drawn out more monsters from the woods to steal the Biomass out from under my very nose! I should probably have expected this. The forest is so packed full of monsters now that fighting almost anywhere is bound to draw more attention.
I'm not prepared to give up my hunt to these pesky poaching rabbits! No matter how evil they look!
Seeing the small horde out rabbits swarming over the larger hounds I know I don't have much time remaining before they manage to overpower the already weakened wolf monsters. I don't have much choice against these sorts of numbers, it's time to summon the colony!
Stopping only to pick up Tiny and make sure he is secure on my back I run back towards the ant hill, dropping a food trail the entire way.
I don't stop when I reach the nest either, I climb all the way up the ant hill and down into the tunnel dropping the trail the entire way. After running down the tunnel a ways I turn and run all the way back, laying down a second layer of pheromones to strengthen the scent, further motivating my fellow workers.
I'm hoping that by running down into the nest I'll be able to attract more of the workers who are deeper in, amassing a larger force more quickly. I need all of the ants I can get as fast as possible!
Bursting out of the top of the hill I sprint back into the woods, overlaying my own trail all of the way. A few workers have already begun sniffing about, making their way along the path but I breeze past them, running at full tilt with Tiny hooting in delight on my back.
Returning to the scene of the battle I see chaos before my eyes. The melee has continued in my absence and the two wolf-dragons are in bad shape, bleeding heavily from a number of small bite wounds all over their bodies.
The rabbits have paid a price though. These wolf-dragons are evolved monsters after all, they need to be respected. The broken bodies of several rabbits can be seen on the ground here and there, torn by claw and fang or smashed to pulp by the incredible strength of those tails.
I don't have time to hesitate, if I wait the rabbits might finish of the prey before I get a chance.
Charge!
I barrel into the fight like a tank, knocking aside the smaller rabbits with my weight and momentum I throw myself forward towards the most heavily wounded wolf monster. The beast is in a terrible state, my acid having burnt into its face resulting in it being almost incapable of defending itself against the predations of the nimble rabbits.
I'll put you out of your misery!
The monster hears me coming and turns to face my onslaught but there is little it can do. Without slowing down I hurl myself directly for the monsters throat, latching on with my mandibles.
Crushing Bite!
I can feel my crushing bite crunch down with sickening force directly on the poor beasts throat, destroying it immediately.
[You have defeated level 4 Crevit Lupus Draco]
[You have gained experience]
[Basic profile of Crevit Lupus Draco unlocked]
[Crevit Lupus Draco, Grown Wolf-Dragon, the evolved form of the cub, this larger, more powerful creature has a greatly increased Might, allowing it to strike brutally with its scaled tail]
Not enough experience to give me a level up but the low level of the monster makes me hopeful it might have given up an evolution and condensed a core, not that I have time to extract it right now.
As soon as I have dealt the final blow to the wolf-dragon I am immediately set upon by a definitively un-fluffy horde of rabbits. I'm not too worried about their assault since I assume that my shiny diamond carapace will repel their efforts, its incredible hardness is Gandalf guaranteed!
I am swiftly disabused of that notion as several rabbits bare their notably long fangs and manage to puncture my shiny hide ever so slightly. What the hell?! I'm supposed to be hard as diamond Gandalf? Is this false advertising?
Small stinging pains can be felt wherever the rabbits have bitten me and I quickly check my status to confirm exactly how much damage I've taken.
Phew!
Thankfully the damage is minimal, just four Hp, but I'm still fairly shocked to see that those fangs are able to defeat my sturdy carapace. This isn't good! Those little buggers are going to be able to rip right into the workers when they arrive!
My concern is a beat too late as lots of workers have responded to my pheromone trail and upon seeing the conflict they immediately throw themselves into battle, rushing forward to latch bite savagely at the first rabbit they see.
Damn workers! Can't you hesitate, even for a second?
Now I'm terrified that my actions here are going to put a significant number of my colony brethren six feet under, not in a digging sense but in a burial one. Dammit Anthony! Get in there and help out your people!
Ignoring the rabbit monsters who are literally hanging off me I turn and charge out of the center of the battle, making my way to where the ants have begun to fight. Tiny starts reaching out with his little fists and pounding the rabbits directly in the face with all the strength he can summon. He doesn't seem to be doing much damage but at least some of the rabbits are irritated enough to let go!
Nice assist there little buddy!
When I reach the side of the ants there I already a steady stream of reinforcements arriving from the hill, roughly twenty ants are here already, moving towards the nearest enemy and latching on immediately with their mandibles, causing many rabbits to shriek painfully and lash out with their powerful hind legs.
I see a few ant hatchlings sent flying before I even get in position to help.
I wince when I hear them crash into the ground, one poor sap even colliding with a tree. I hope they are able to last long enough for the Queen to heal them. I'll take them myself as soon as I'm able!
Once I reach the front line I start to lash out left and right with my mandibles.
Crushing Bite! Crushing Bite!
Two rabbits are immediately heavily wounded when my powerful jaws clamp down on them with vicious force, snapping bones and shredding muscle. I'll leave them to the others to finish off as the fight is quickly escalating. More and more ants are engaging the enemy and the black rabbit monsters are lashing out, causing savage wounds with every bite.
With a little breathing space behind me I turn my head slightly to get a quick look and then blast out another jet of acid, catching an advancing rabbit directly in the chest.
Trying to sneak up on me you little varmint?! Let my acid take a bite out of you!
My unfortunate victim begins to screech in a high pitched whine that immediately grates on my ears. I thought rabbits were supposed to be quiet creatures? Apparently they don't like acid, who knew?
I swear more rabbits have arrived since this combat began, at first I thought I'd only seen around twelve but there must be at least twenty as I hastily survey the field.
The remaining wolf-dragon is snarling a constant low rumbling growl as it continues to lash at the monsters around it with tail and fang. Since all of those monsters are demon rabbits I'll happily leave it to its business and turn my attention back to assisting my fellow ants.
More and more small puncture wounds appear in my carapace as I continue to charge through the combat, acting as a living shield to my smaller brethren. I'm starting to hope that these blasted fangs aren't poisoned or I might really be in trouble!
Crushing bite!
I manage to latch onto a rabbit right around the neck as it was distracted by other workers gathering around it. The creature struggles desperately, kicking out with its powerful hind legs directly into my thorax beneath my head. The impact of the kick rocks me backwards but the shock is readily absorbed by my powerful carapace and I manage to maintain my grip.
Say goodnight, bunny of the burning hells!
CRUNCH.
My two mandibles meet each other in the middle, having shorn through what had before kept them apart.
[You have defeated a level 3 Dens Sanguinem Leporis]
[You have gained experience]
Ignoring the fight continuing immediately around me I take a brief moment to chomp down on the rabbit I just finished off.
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass, Dens Sanguinem Leporis one Biomass awarded]
[Basic Profile of Dens Sanguinem Leporis unlocked]
[Dens Sanguinem Leporis, Blood Tooth Rabbit. This monster is known for its affinity to shadow and the powerful fangs capable of draining health from the victims of its bites]
Wait a minute Gandalf... likes shadows and dark places, long life draining fangs... are you telling me these are vampire rabbits?
I mean....
Really!?
Checking my status I can see that I have lost over twelve Hp so far in this battle, most of it to chip damage from the repeated punctures these damned fanged bunnies have inflicted. Engaging my regeneration gland I welcome the icy burst that washes through my body, closing over holes in my carapace and restoring my Hp to near full.
The battle continues to rage around me. More and more ants are arriving at the battle, perhaps as many as fifty now and the rabbits are finding themselves pressed back as the sheer swarm of the colony is providing more targets than they can comfortably deal with.
Haha! You damn demon rabbits of hades! Behold the power of colony!
Turning I can see three hatchlings battling a rabbit together, each of them latched on with mandibles and pulling at the rabbit, pinning it down and restricting its movement. The three smaller ants are desperately holding on, their legs splayed and claws dug hard into the ground as the stronger rabbit monster thrashes in a wild attempt to set itself free.
I'll help you younguns'. I leap forward and bring my mandibles down on the rabbit in a vicious strike, biting deep into the monsters hide.
[You have defeated level 2 Blood tooth rabbit]
[You have gained experience]
The three hatchlings don't even spare me a glance, let alone a friendly wave of the antennae in thanks before they turn and rush off in search off another target to attack.
I shouldn't have expected any different I suppose...
At this moment, as all around me monstrous insects do vicious battle against large black, red eyed rabbits I had to think that something was truly odd going on in this world.
It is also at this moment that, from the surrounding woods a veritable flood of centipedes breaks into the battle from the surrounding woods.
-x-X-x-
What is this madness Gandalf?! Why on earth are these damnable centipedes barging in here?!
I guess it makes sense when I think about it though, the sounds of monster combat have been ringing through this area of trees for quite a while now, not to mention the powerful smell of the freshest food is permeating the area, filling the air with the rich and delectable scent of Biomass.
This place is basically the underground monster equivalent of a supermarket, its shelves laden with heaped goods, the most ripe produce, delivered direct from the farm, fully organic and ready for consumption.
It's hardly surprising that when the forest is, for whatever reason, pact to bursting with monsters the chaos would attract poachers, frenzied by the very idea of experience and food for the taking. Somewhere nearby there must be a centipede mound, similar to the one I'd preyed upon earlier, because there must be at least thirty of the horrible things here now, slithering and climbing over each other in their desperation to feast.
Perfect, just perfect. All I wanted was to snack on some part wolf part dragon monsters and here we are in some ridiculous melee.
What worries me the most is that this escalation of the battle will only increase the noise and draw even more monsters into the area. The only thing that could possibly make a monster turn a blind eye to this banquet is if a creature with overwhelming strength were to seize control of the field, scaring away competitors with its presence.
If that happens then the colony will miss out on this golden opportunity!
This is feast even larger than what we are able to harvest from the spark chimp tree. The shear wealth of Biomass and experience on offer would fuel the workers to hundreds of mutations, possibly even evolutions! The workers would benefit tremendously, growing in strength and sharpening their skills. Not to mention the food would allow the colony to raise hundreds of new ants.
Greed is exploding in my heart as I take in the sight of the monsters doing ferocious battle. Every single one of them is a bag of Xp and Biomass and I want it all. I want every bit of it.
There is nothing as ravenous as a colony of ants. On Earth regular, tiny ants are so abundant they represent almost 20% of the mass of all animals on the planet. There is no other creature that that consumes more of the world's tiny life forms than ants, they are the terrors of the undergrowth and all things are their food.
Here, in this world, we are larger, capable of feasting not only on the smallest of lifeforms, but on all of them. Every single one of them.
I can almost feel a heat rising in my body as I ponder the possibilities. Is there really anything that can match us here in this world? If my colony is able to grow and reach its full potential, is there anything that could resist us?
The colony right now is only a few hundred ants, only a single Queen.
What if there were five, six Queens. What if there were hundreds of thousands of workers? Millions? Billions?
We could sweep these caverns clean. An unstoppable wave of monsters that would carry all before it.
I'm not really a violent person, surely I wasn't in my past life, but now that I'm an ant and the colony has become my home I want them to survive. Not just survive, but to thrive, to reach their full potential. It could start here, right now.
As the centipedes crash into the back of the conflict, sandwiching the unfortunate rabbits between them and the ants I start to drop the emergency pheromone all around me. Instantly the nearby workers pick up the signal and start to copy me, blanketing the area with the scent. My antennae immediately explode with sensation as the same signal pounds into my senses over and over again.
Emergency! Battle! Defend the colony! Summon the workforce! Emergency!
The entire area is saturated with the message, I even see workers disengage from the battle to run back to the ant hill, spreading the trail all the way back to the top of the hill and down into the tunnels. Every worker will pick up the message, even those tending to the brood and the Queen. The Queen herself might even appear, much as she did last time.
It's definitely a risk if she were to come here. If she were set upon by gargoyles from above or even a giant bruiser like Tiny was or the Titan-Croc, I'm not sure if she would be able to survive, I've no idea how capable she is in combat after all.
But it's worth it! If we can win here and take all that is on offer here it will explode the colonies strength and supercharge its growth! We need to roll the dice!
Invigorated by the incredible opportunity that has dropped itself into my lap I return to battle with renewed purpose. The ants on the fringes of the fight have begun to unload their acid bombardment over our heads, targeting the newly arrived centipedes on the other side of the fight. Blast after blast of sizzling acid streaks through the air, falling like rain on the centipede horde.
The rabbits are in a frenzy, pinned between two hostile monstrous swarms they have no option except to fight their way to survival and they battle with renewed ferocity, biting savagely at ant at centipede alike.
In the midst of the fray the remaining wolf-dragon continues its rampage, completely surrounded by smaller monsters that bite and pull at it, trying to drag it to the ground, the larger beast responds with vicious swings of its tail, sending the unevolved monsters flying through the air with every swat of its tail.
I charge back into the swirling midst of the battle, ants climbing over each other and on my back at the frontline constantly bite, pulling at the rabbits and dragging them down. I lash out to my left and right every time I see a target, using my crushing bite exclusively.
Since these rabbit monsters have no hard external defence the crushing bite is definitely the skill that will yield me the most damage per bite. Every time my mandibles clamp down, biting deep into soft flesh, the rabbits howl and screech but their pleas fall on deaf ears as the unstoppable tide of ants continues to push forward.
Every now and again the xp notification comes through, the gruff yet soothing voice of Gandalf letting me know that one of victims was finished off by my strike.
As I continue to press forward and bite I can gradually feel my stamina being drained away, making me more and more tired. Ever since I first saw my mandibles glowing with power I wondered where that energy came from, if there was some sort of cost associated with my active skills.
It seems I was correct to think so but only now biting dozens of times in such short succession have I been able to directly feel the energy draining out of me. It's my stamina! With every snap of my mandibles I can feel myself getting more and more tired.
But I won't stop! Until all of this Biomass has been claimed for the colony I refuse to stop!
[Crushing Bite has reached level 6]
[Crushing bite has reached level 7]
Dammit! Just how many of these stupid things are there!?
The rabbits have been defeated, their beady red eyes are all lifeless on the ground as the centipede and ant armies continue to clash over the top of their remains. At the rear of the battle ants are extracting wounded and dragging them back to a temporary holding pile at the base of the hill, waiting for transport down to the Queen.
Some of the wounded are so desperate to fight they try to drag themselves back to the front with whatever limbs they have left, one nearly legless hatchling I saw trying to pull itself back to the battle using only its mandibles!
The emergency pheromones have summoned almost all of the workforce to the fight, over one hundred monstrous ants have answered the call, emerging from deep in the nest to do battle in the name of the colony.
Every time fresh recruits arrive at the scene they immediately unload all of their available acid onto the enemy before they advance to the front lines. Due to their assistance we now outnumber the centipedes significantly, almost two to one. The fighting is so hot and close that the centipedes are struggling to utilise their most deadly weapon, their poison sting. With the two sides pressed so close together, climbing over each other to fight it's too hard for them to raise their tail section high enough to strike forward, giving the ants yet another advantage.
We can win!
-x-X-x-
As soon as my confidence was beginning to rise, just when I though victory had been secured, that was the exact moment I was thrown back into the pit of despair.
It always seems to work like that, doesn't it Gandalf?
I continue to support my colony brethren in the battle for our future. I'm totally exhausted by this point, having bitten so many times the muscles in my face are completely sore. What's even more irritating is that, in order to support my fellow workers as much as possible I've been deliberately wounding my enemies but not taking the extra time to finish them off before moving on to the next target, leaving the crippled victims behind for the rest of the ants to deal with.
Despite my best efforts there have definitely been casualties on the ants side. Without an upgraded carapace like mine their defences were like paper in the face of the rabbit's fangs and some were instantly killed when receiving a bite to the head.
Others have fallen to the centipede's claws and jaws, battling in places I couldn't see or reach in time. My heart is heavy knowing that some of my own siblings have been laid to rest as a result of my own actions. I have to comfort myself with the knowledge that victory will benefit the colony as a whole tremendously, and that is the goal the workers truly strive for at all times.
However, almost as if mocking me, the ground begins to shudder beneath my feet. Powerful vibrations rattle through the ground over and again, surely in response to some rather tremendous feet.
Please don't tell me...
My despair takes material form when crashing through the trees in an appearance worthy of a final boss is a massive Titan-Croc, flanked on either side by two Croca-beasts, almost like henchmen following their leader.
Why are you stupid monsters so organised in such a dumb way all of a sudden?!
The new arrivals growl menacingly, the rumbles vibrating the air so powerful they send my antennae dancing. The lead Titan-Croc surveys the field of lesser monsters with discernible greed lighting up his eyes. Even for an evolved creature like him, the sheer amount of food here will be enough to fuel his mutation, as well as the two following him.
Lured by the noise and the aroma of Biomass these big baddies have arrived to wrap up the battle and stake their claim over the food here. Not many monsters would be willing to battle such colossal powerhouses, what kind of suicidal creature would take on those kinds of odds?
THIS ANT RIGHT HERE.
I refuse to surrender the spoils of war! The colony has already sacrificed precious workers in this battle and I refuse to see us walk away with nothing to show for it because a few fat crocodiles turned up!
The only thing that has changed is the menu!
Of course, completely exhausted and punctured with minor wounds, I have no idea how I'm supposed to deal with these powerful monsters. The Titan-Croc alone could probably fireball us all to hell, not to mention when he has help!
I barely have enough acid in the tank for a single shot...
Then I see something.
At this moment, salvation is delivered.
In hour darkest hour, she will be the light.
From the corner of my eye I can see the top of the ant hill begin to shudder, as if a large monster were pushing through the tunnel inside. The very top of the hill shakes, some of the loose dirt collapsing inwards and more spilling out, rolling down the slope as the shaking and shuddering becomes more and more pronounced.
Bursting from the top of the hill comes an enormous ant, her long antennae swinging angrily through the air as she clacks her massive mandibles threateningly.
With another heave the ant pulls the rest of her body from the tunnel which was never dug wide enough for her to move through easily. When the colony was threatened she once again ignored her guards and rushed to the battle!
Easily five times my size the Queen looks down on the battle imperiously from the top of the hill, her antennae already beginning to surge with healing light.
Mother is here! And she looks pissed...
It's true, her eyes have a dangerous glint in them as she takes in the scene, the pile of wounded struggling ants at the foot of the hill and the deadly struggle continuing within the trees where ants and centipedes continue to clash violently.
Then she looks at the huge interlopers, still eyeing off the battle and awaiting their moment to strike.
I'm nervous now. If the Queen is killed here then everything will be lost! I wasn't too concerned when only rabbits and centipedes were about since I didn't think they'd be able to harm her majesty at all, but it's different now.
The Croca-beast may not be up to the task but the Titan surely is.
Come to think of it though, I really have no idea how strong the Queen is in a fight...
I mean, her primary purpose is to lay eggs, which isn't exactly a combat role, she also has specialised in a healing magic, which again doesn't lend itself to direct combat.
I'm really worried!
Mother doesn't seem to share my concerns as she chitters angrily and after a brief moment of concentration releases her powerful healing spell. A wave of light rolls out from her antennae, flowing over the ground and encompassing all of the ants in the wounded pile before rushing into the forest like the tide.
The healing energy laps against me like the waters of a river and I greedily drink it in, recharging my energy and healing my small wounds, restoring my Hp.
All around me the workers are being healed and reenergised, throwing themselves into the fight with renewed frenzy. This wave of healing has stamped an end to the hopes of the centipedes in this conflict, already outnumbered the return of injured ants to the combat has only tilted things further against them. Their snapping claws sound despondent and hopeless where before they were aggressive and vicious, almost as if they can sense their impending doom.
The three large interlopers, the Croca-Beasts and their apparent leader, the Titan-Croca have seen enough. With the combat reaching an end they want to sweep away whatever resistance remains and claim the Biomass for themselves.
Their indignation is almost palpable as they watch a few small worker hatchlings starting to drag away the food, a few rabbit bodies are already being taken over to the nest from the back of the battle. Looking at their furious eyes I can almost hear them smirking as they think "How dare these puny monsters take away our Biomass! Know your place, midgets!"
Up yours Croc! I will let you experience the shout of my soul!
As the massive Titan-Croc rears back to his full height and steps forward through the trees his two subordinate henchmen advance on his flanks, looking like little bullies attaching themselves to a larger one.
For some reason it really bothers me to see these damn Crocs cooperating. Since when did this sort of thing happen?
Aren't you guys supposed to be the lonely kings of the jungle sort of thing?!
As they advance forward toward the fight I try to blend in with the rest of the workforce, gradually pushing myself towards the massive beasts through the bustling crowd of workers. As I do so I reach internally with my mind, grasping hold of the vaporous energies within my core.
With the force of my mind alone I direct my mana to flow out, concentrating it into a tight ball in my throat. As the monsters draw closer, powerful fangs gleaming in the brilliant light of the forest I continue to force more and more energy out of my core and into the powerfully swirling marble of mana I've formed within me.
Idly I wonder what might happen to my head if I were to lose control of the mana as I draw it out and condense it.
Best not to consider it really...
[Mana Shaping has reached level 2]
[Forceful Mana has reached Level 2]
Oh ho! Even in this situation I can't help but be a little excited at my mana skills improving. Immediately I can feel the process of shifting and condensing the mana become slightly easier. It isn't much but every little bit helps
In my peripheral vision I can see the Queen, unsatisfied with merely healing the colony has begun to advance down the hill towards the battle.
I can't help but think things are going to get very dicey in a moment.
-x-X-x-
The pressure continues to build within my throat, the small spherical mass of mana is becoming tighter and tighter, the dense energy fluctuating and spinning wildly as more and more mana is forced into it.
I'm reaching the limits of my tolerance, I have to act soon!
I can see the Queen advancing into the forest, her personal swarm of guards being forced to move with her. It's clear that she intends to personally enter the battle and defend her colony against these large interlopers.
I think if these damned Croca beasts hadn't shown up she would probably have been content to just release her healing spell and then retreat back into the nest, but with such a large portion of her workforce under threat she must feel compelled to act.
A caring mother, striding into battle for her children... It's very moving Gandalf! And no I'm not crying! I can't cry, I'm an ant, but within, I am deeply moved by this maternal devotion.
For the moment I'll gloss over that this situation is entirely my fault...
On my back Tiny has continued to survey the battlefield, hooting aggressively at our foes and occasionally lashing out with his little fists whenever he could locate a target. I'm impressed the little fellow has managed to maintain his seat all this time, it couldn't have been easy in the swirling melee.
I'm drawing closer and closer to the Titan-Croc even as they are drawing closer and closer to me. They've almost reached the ants now, just a few more meters and those claws will begin to reap a dark harvest of ant experience. I won't let it happen!
Suddenly accelerating I charge forward out of the pack, brushing aside my fellow workers in my mad rush to reach the crocodiles before they are able to act. I want to draw their attention away from the colony as much as possible, I have to be fast!
Go!
My force mana sphere is as dense as I can make it, no matter how I try I can't force any more energy into it. It is wildly spinning inside me, a tiny, ultra-dense, hot fog of mana just begging to be released.
As I reach the edge of the field I climb onto the back of a nearby worker and leap into the air. Directly before my face the Titan-Croc looms. Cruel eyes stare directly into mine. Massive jaws part to reveal a wealth of barbed teeth, ready to snap out my life.
Delivered to you fresh like the cold mountain winds, receive the shout of my people!
Opening my mouth I finally release the energy I've contained within . Like a bullet from a gun, like a directed explosion, the mana bursts out with irresistible force, as if I shot a cannonball from my mouth.
Time seems to slow down in this moment. Or perhaps my perception speeds up. The chaotic motion all around me stills and the small details become larger and larger in my eyes. I can see the huge bulk of the Titan-Croc in front of me as I float through the air, it's maw opening wide, ropes of saliva clinging to each tooth, ready to crunch down on this meal that has delivered itself by airmail directly.
The two Croca-Beasts on either side ignore me, preparing to advance into the horde of ants with claws bared, their arms are already being drawn back, thick cables of muscle bulging beneath their scales.
Behind me the workers continue to battle the centipedes, a ferocious melee of insect vs insect in all of its savage glory. Only a few workers have responded to the impending threat of Croca-beast, I can see their antennae slowly twitching in the air as they turn to face this new threat, no fear or shock showing in their faces, only dedication.
Then the magic is released.
A concussive force erupts, bursting into the air with the power of a battering ram. With my heightened senses in this moment I can see the very air itself warping and twisting around the fearsome energy.
It was difficult to aim after leaping into the air so my blast doesn't smash into the Titan-Croc's mouth as I'd hoped but rather cannons into its chest.
At that moment of impact, I could see the change come over the monster's face, an ever so slight flicker of surprise registering in the eyes.
Then the strange sensation of time slowing ends.
And the Titan-Croc catapults away into a tree like a crocodilic missile.
The tree shatters in half as the enormous mass of monster crashes into it like a thunderbolt. The burst of noise is deafening.
Then silence.
Then Gandalf.
[You have slain level 12 Crescente Gula Garralosh]
[You have gained experience]
[You have reached level 8]
...
One hit.... KO?
Are you kidding me?!
The Titan-Croca lies amidst the broken remnants of the shattered tree, unmoving. The monster's massive chest appears to have been caved in, as if struck by a giant's hammer. The two smaller Croca-Beasts are wearing an expression that could only be the heartless monster equivalent of shock.
I land on my feet before them, looking up at their crocodile faces.
They look down at me, not seeming to quite understand what it is they are looking at.
Then Mother arrives.
Moving with the irresistible power of a freight train the Queen crashes into the Croca-Beast on my left. Her immense jaws immediately scissor the Croca-Beast across its mid-section, directly cutting the dreadful monster in half!
Holy heck Mother?! How much Biomass did you spend upgrading your mandibles? They look sharper than mine!
After defeating the first Croca-Beast so decisively the Queen turns toward the second, her powerful mandibles clicking ominously, covered in ichor. The monsters in this place do not know the word retreat and the remaining Croca-Beast shows no sign of backing down. I don't know if these creatures are incredibly brave or just immensely stupid but they do not retreat.
The Queen doesn't slow down, aggressively advancing towards the final monster, who roars and swings one powerful claw towards the larger creature. The Queen doesn't even react, allowing the claws to rake into her carapace. The force of that impact would have sent me flying but she doesn't budge, cold eyes staring down at the Croca-Beast with contempt.
Only when the Croca draws back its arms do I see that the blow hasn't even left a mark on the shiny dark carapace of Mother. Exactly how highly upgraded is this Queen?!
Then I remember the dedicated workers, constantly battling for food and returning as much of it as possible to the nest for the Queen to eat, not only giving her the energy to produce the young but also allowing her to take in ferocious amounts of Biomass.
There is no doubt she is the most highly mutated member of the colony, probably possessing many mutation advanced to boot. For whatever reason her advancements seem to be the less ostentatious kind as I can't really see a visible difference in her carapace or mandibles yet they are clearly immensely strong.
Not wasting the opportunity given by the opponents reckless strike, Mother opens her jaws wide and plunges them down, all of her crushing weight behind the strike. Even the powerful Croca-Beast is no match for the Queen in a contest in strength and is smashed into the ground, pinned by those potent mandibles.
After adjusting her grip slightly, Mother puts the beast out of its misery...
...
So strong!
What the hell was that?! I don't think even the Titan-Croc would have been able to resist her strength for long. I had no idea you were so strong Mother!
The Queen doesn't seem too fazed by the experience, standing tall once again she surveys the battlefield with her cool, imperious gaze. Merely being in her presence has driven the workforce into a frenzy, redoubling their efforts and driving the centipedes completely into the dirt. The battle is all but over, many workers already having switched to transport duty, moving injured ants out of the fight and breaking up food for transport back to the nest.
We've won! The spoils of war shall be ours!
When the Queen spots me dancing in triumph in front of her she makes her way over to me, suddenly casting her immense shadow over my face.
Uh, hi? How are you Mother? ...
Raising one powerful foreleg the Queen suddenly slaps me on the head. Not hard enough to injure me but certainly enough to smack my head down into the ground and make my brain spin.
Before I can recover myself she has already turned and started to make her way back to the nest, a detachment of workers following her every move.
Did I... Did I just get told off by Mother?
This is quite depressing!
I think I can understand why. Despite the fact that this victory will provide the fuel that will ignite the colonies engine, at least thirty workers have laid their lives down here. Those thirty workers would still be alive if not for me starting a fight so close to the nest, drawing in the workforce and being unable to contain the conflict.
The other thing I hadn't considered, is that although this food might allow the Queen to lay many eggs, there are now thirty less workers to help hunt for them, feed them and care for them, which will stretch the remaining workforce right to the limit.
Sigh...
I hope the Queen isn't too mad. I'm definitely reflecting on my mistakes...
-x-X-x-
The aftermath of a monster battle is a fairly gruesome place, especially when it's ants picking over the field.
This area of the forest has a veritable carpet of deceased monsters. Black furred rabbits mixed with centipedes and the two wolf-dragons cover the ground. On top of them the ants make another layer, bustling with insect urgency. Their job is now the rather messy work of butchery. Most of these workers are still hatchlings, only a few having evolved into mature workers like me. This means they can't carry an entire monster body back into the nest in one go, instead they are forced to break up the food and transport it in pieces.
All around me this somewhat distasteful work is being done, workers using their mandibles to carve away at the food at then lifting their prize and merrily sprinting off towards the nest in order to make their delivery as quickly as possible and return for more.
Even with over sixty workers here it is going to take a little while before the work is done.
With the Queen now having retreated back to the nest I've decided to stick around until the workers have completed their task. If more monsters come to act the vulture and try to steal our hard won prize I want to be here to help defend it. I didn't work this hard and make the Queen mad just to risk losing everything we worked for!
Still, looking over the remains of the battlefield I feel a slight sense of accomplishment. Each of those monster bodies represents experience that has been funnelled into the workers already, fuelling their growth and bringing more and more of them closer to evolution.
As long as the colony can last until the next generation emerges then we will be in a tremendous spot, growing explosively and becoming much safer.
Tiny has already leapt from my back and started to feast, his little hands shovelling the Biomass into his face with incredible speed.
Slow down there little buddy.. You might get a stomach ache.
I'm pleased to see his increased appetite, the sooner he grows and begins to show the fearsome strength of the monster I took the core from the better off we'll be. Recalling that his core came from creature strong enough to go toe to toe with a Titan-Croc makes me hopeful that Tiny will be able to exert that same kind of strength in the future.
With all of the monsters here focused on the Biomass I have a different prize in my sights.
There are a few large, evolved monsters here and I am desperately hoping that they will have some cores for me. I refuse to evolve without maxing out my core!
I move over to the two wolf-dragons first and begin chewing through them, not just gaining Biomass but also hunting for a possible core. My own core is deep within the center of my body and it has been thereabouts in every monster I've found it in so far, so I have to eat my way down to find it.
I gain two Biomass from the first before I decide there probably isn't a core and rather than finish it off I rush to the other one, pushing a few workers out of the way in order to secure my place to hunt for that precious sphere.
[You have gained Biomass]
[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
Bwhahahaha!
The prize is mine!
Even if I have the Core Mechanic skill I'm not willing to waste any monster core on practicing it until I have achieved my most important goal, the maxed out core!
Absorb that core!
As the core melts into the air I can feel the energy flowing into my own, strengthening and enlarging it, increasing its capacity to store the mana that infuses this world.
Excellent!
Keep hustling Anthony, there is more to go!
Having checked both of the wolf-dragons I now abandon the center of the battle and sprint over to where a few workers are starting to pick over the Croca-beasts.
Mine, mine, mine, mine!
Pushing aside a few workers I greedily dive into the first Croca-Beast, this one was the first monster the Queen directly cut in half, making it fairly easy to look for the core. After barely eating at all I decide their isn't any core to be had and I hustle over the to the next one.
Hopefully my worker brethren don't feel I'm being too greedy ... If I can evolve with a fully maxed core I'll be able to repay the investment many fold! Forgive me guys.
[You have gained Biomass]
[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
Yessssss!
Reinforce Dat Core!
Once again the pleasant stretching sensation occurs as my core absorb more energy, growing more dense and larger. The power!
With this my Max Mp has reached 40, which is double what I was able to sustain before evolving. I kind of expect that this means I've reached my maximum?
Only one way to find out. Crossing my metaphorical toes I move towards the remains of the Titan-Croc. The body lies leaning against the stump of the shattered tree, it's chest a broken ruin.
I cannot believe I was able to fell such a massive creature in one blow. The power of Forceful Mana is not to be underestimated! It may be a little cumbersome to use in a fight right now, but as I get more and more level and my core becomes stronger, what sort of power will I be able to unleash?
My mind is boggling!
Concentrate on the present Anthony! Control your drool, man!
I tentatively approach the Titan-Croc. I almost can't believe that it's dead. I feel like the massive creature could just open its eyes and start wrecking my face at any moment.
It's impossible though, the all-seeing voice of Gandalf spoke to me, the beast is surely dead. The whole situation just feels so unreal I guess. It wasn't long ago I riding on the coat tails of one of these monsters, depending on it for safety and feeding on a few scraps it left behind.
Now I have conquered one and will feast on Biomass!
No need to hesitate any further, dig in!
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Crescente Gula Garralosh, you are awarded one Biomass]
[Basic profile of the Crescente Gula Garralosh unlocked]
[Crescente Gula Garralosh: Growing Maw Garralosh, The evolved form of the infant Garralosh this still growing offspring of the Garralosh has reached its development stage. Able to convert mana to fire, beware of the fireballs released from its mouth]
What the hell?
Are you telling me that this enormous monster, the beast of nightmare that I have dubbed the "Titan-Croc", is still in its development stage?! Exactly how stupidly massive are these damn things supposed to get Gandalf?!
And again with the Garralosh! All of these damnable crocodiles are the offspring of a single monster? Is this thing like the croc version of Godzilla?! How would something that big even more through the tunnels down here?
Gah, I don't even want to guess. I still have very little idea what lies in the tunnels beneath this place, for all I know, if you go deeper you'll find even larger open spaces than this, huge open areas the size of continents. Why the hell not?! I didn't think an underground area like this one could possibly exist but here I am, chewing on a giant croc-monster right underneath a sparkly glowing tree with purple leaves.
So who knows?
I'm not going to try and prejudge what I might see anymore. I've been shocked so many times I no longer see the point.
[You have gained Biomass]
Thanks Gandalf. Nice to be kept informed.
[Compatible Special monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
Ah wha?
Special Monster core? What the heck is that?
After thinking for a moment I decide to dig out the core and take a look at it. After a more minutes of chomping I'm able to free the core and drag it out with my mandibles.
It's frickin huge.
What the hell is with this core?! It's massive! Easily larger than the core that birthed Tiny even!
This Titan-Croc must have reinforced the heck out of his core for it to reach this tremendous size. I'm absolutely gobsmacked.
I can't be exactly sure how large my own core is but I'm certain it cannot be even close to half the size, maybe it's a fifth as large?
According to Gandalf I can absorb this bad boy. Seems bizarre that a core this large is still compatible... is it because the Titan-Croc has also only evolved once?
I feel a little nervous about this. It should be fine... right?
Uh.... Reinforce my core?
[Your core has already reached maximum capacity for your level of evolution. Absorbing the special core will take you beyond this limit. Do you still wish to proceed?]
What the heck Gandalf?! So talkative all of a sudden? Why can't you just give me information at a time that isn't the last possible second!?
So my core has actually already capped out at 40 MP as I thought it might. For some reason this core is special and will allow me to further improve my core beyond the normal limit?
Doesn't this just mean that my evolution will be even further fuelled next time?
Maybe there is a down side to absorbing the core now. Perhaps I'll only be able to draw limited benefit from the core, say only increasing my max MP by four points, whereas if I waited until after I evolved to absorb it I could take the full benefit and get eight.
It still seems worth it to take the core now. Knowing that a stronger monster core means more energy to fuel evolution ... I just can't turn it down.
Reinforce my core Gandalf!
The enormous core, looking like a lustrous dark pearl, slowly begins to dissolve into the air before me. As it does so the solid matter that makes it is released as energy that swirls and flows in the air, tiny particles dancing and spinning. Each individual particle eventually meets another and then those two meet another and in this way the individual dots of energy become grouped into flowing streams that trail each other.
Eventually these streams begin to be drawn towards me, flowing directly through my physical self as if it weren't there and being drawn towards my core. As they grow closer the energy acts almost as if it were water circling the drain, looping around the core in wide circles at first before the loop draws tighter and the flow faster, increasing in pace the closer it gets.
As the energy finally begins meet my more I can feel the spherical gem begin to grow, greedily absorbing every particle of light that touches it, using that energy to construct itself anew.
More and more energy is flowing with every second, growing faster still as the enormous core continues to dissolve, releasing all of its potential.
The spinning energy is no longer like a bath drain and more like a raging whirlpool. A veritable ocean of power being drawn deep into my core.
It hurts!
As my core expands further and further a dull pain begins to throb in my abdomen. Distant at first and then sharper with each passing moment.
I clench my mandibles and brace myself against it. C'mon Anthony! You can take it!
More. More. MORE.
The pain continues to build until it is agony! My core is a screaming mass of pain, ultra-dense and far larger than it should be for a creature of my strength.
I can feel that deep inside, my core is unstable. Growing too quickly and holding too much energy. Damn it hurts!
Finally the Titan-Croc's immense core is completely gone but the pain remains. The ripping agony flares every few seconds, causing me to almost collapse.
Even Tiny has noticed something is wrong, coming over to place a gentle paw on my back. Thanks little buddy. That's real nice.
OUCH.
Damn this core! I don't recall Gandalf mentioning the searing agony involved when pushing your core beyond you evolution level!
With my willpower being sapped by fighting off this pain I can't do much. Blearily I check my status and the result shocks me into alertness again.
MP 11/50!
Fif... FIFTY?
No wonder the whole process was so painful, my core is literally a full 25% larger than a body at my level of evolution is supposed to be able to handle!
Even though this process continues to cause such terrible sensations within me, I can't help but be excited for what this could mean for my next evolution. Will new, rare options be unlocked? Or could I just gain a heck more evolutionary energy to spend upgrading my stats... perhaps this will provide enough for me to afford that subsidiary brain for magic!
I've managed to amass seven points of Biomass so far from this battlefield but looking at the remains of the Titan-Croc, I've barely managed to touch it.
I'm in so much pain that I seriously don't want to eat any more, frankly I don't want to do anything anymore. I need a sleep.
But I force myself to keep working.
I refuse to let this wealth of Biomass just go to the colony completely. They can have the rest, but this Titan-Croc is mine. I'm allowed to be this selfish, right?
I'll conveniently ignore that I gobbled up all of the cores from the large monsters at this point...
With Tiny helping me along I limp towards another tree near the Titan-Croc and begin to excavate a temporary nest. I would normally just drag this food back to our own little chamber within the colony but right now I don't think I have the strength.
The excavate upgrade shows its power here and I'm able to dig out a surprisingly roomy chamber beneath the tree relatively quickly.
With that job done I drag myself over to the remains and start the unpleasant job of breaking it up into pieces and then burying them in my new hiding hole. The carcass is so large it takes almost an hour to complete this job and several times I have to chase of a few workers coming over to grab a bite.
By the time I'm finished the flaring agony I had experienced has receded to a lesser but consistent pain that batters at my mind constantly.
Ugh... I hate thiiiiis.
The busy workforce has also completed their mission, transporting all of the Biomass down into the main nest to be consumed there and fed to the brood.
After one more look at the now bare area around me I drag myself down into the chamber and once Tiny has joined me I close over the entrance.
The long battle has finally ended and the colony has been victorious. Time for a nap.
Zzzzzzzz.
I'm UP!
Several hours later I startle myself out of torpor, snapping awake in an instant.
Phew! Good sleep!
The pain of my core has continued to fade over my nap and has now been downgraded to persistent ache. I can probably attribute this to my insides being squashed by the larger than intended core occupying too much real estate in there.
Not to worry! As soon as I evolve it'll be nice and snug in there once again.
Looking at Tiny gradually shaking himself awake I can see he has grown again after stuffing his face yesterday. Honestly I think he's grown a little too large to comfortably fit on my back, which is a little sad, but I'm glad he's managing to get larger and stronger.
You'll prove yourself useful eventually you little ape!
Now that my core has reached its maximum potential and then a bit more I don't really begrudge him the core I spent to bring him to life anymore. It all worked out in the end and I got a little monkey buddy for my trouble.
My mind now turns to the business at hand, namely, continuing to eat this Biomass! I've resolved that until all of this Croca has been consumed, Tiny and I will live the shut-in lifestyle! We won't leave until the meal is over!
I estimate we'll be able to fill ourselves up at least once more, possibly twice, before the food is entirely gone.
C'mon Tiny! Time to dig in.
...
Om nom nom.
...
Gah! I'm stuffed! Tiny is looking so full he's practically a monkey basketball! That's another seven Biomass in the tank!
Such riches!
Since we are so full, the ape and I decide to just sleep again, a well-deserved holiday after our efforts.
When we awake we finish off the food and I gain another four Biomass.
Rest in peace Titan-Croca, I will never forget the mutations you allowed me to gain.
Checking my status I have amassed a ridiculous eighteen points of Biomass!
This is so many points I almost don't know what to do with it!
Settle down Anthony... Let's start planning out the costs now.
I need nine points to max out my antennae, so there goes half of my wealth immediately.
Then I have another nine whole points to spend. I can upgrade my regeneration gland to four with my remaining points. I really like the regeneration and have already promised myself to prioritise it. So this will leave me with two points remaining.
I guess I could spend those on either pheromones or legs...
Legs would be useful in general, running around, climbing, these are all things I do constantly. Pheromones will help me with managing the colony and workers. I mean, an extra +1 isn't going to make a huge difference to either choice so I'm not too concerned.
I think I'll take pheromones. The ability to move the workforce faster, even by just a second, could be critical at some point. Not to mention, we are going to need a lot of food to keep growing the colony. The more successfully we can hunt the better off we all are.
[Would you like to upgrade Antennae to +5, Regeneration Gland to +4 and Pheromones to +2? This will cost eighteen Biomass]
Heck yeah!
[At this level you can choose an mutation advancement, please select from the menu]
Here we go!
Once again the dizzying number of options unfolds in my mind like a flower. There is always such a ridiculous number of suggestions!
What on earth am I supposed to pick?!
Enhanced sense Antennae for an empowered sense of smell? Sounds handy. Bladed Antennae, equipping each antennae with a bladed tip and turning them into weapons?! Holy heck! Precognitive Antennae, sensing vibrations from a moment in the future? Are you frickin' kidding me?!
There are a few that tickle my fancy, such as the mana detection antennae, allowing the appendages to sense the flow of mana, but I already have a skill that will hopefully be able to perform the same job. Another choice improves the strength of any magical energy that is channelled through the Antennae, I can't help but wonder if the Queen selected this upgrade...