I always expect to get knocked out when evolving but this feels slightly different. I don't feel like I'm being pulled downward into slumber but quite literally being pulled downward!
I can feel my consciousness being pulled down into my core, dragged away from its home in my ant body in a non-pain free process.
What the heck is going on here!? I was just about to evolve and enjoy my rise to triumph! What the heck is this? Is this some punishment for hitting Tiny too much? He deserved it! I swear!
Did I kill too many humans? Is there god going to take punishment on me for reaping juicy experience from them? Those were bad people! Probably!
To tell you the truth I don't know!
Despite my protestations and desperate flailing with my mind I have absolutely no control. Like a water balloon held in an iron fist my mind can only slosh about as it is inexorable pulled away, into the core, and then down, further down. A tiny thread like tendril has extended from the dark and connected to my core and it's through this thread that I am drawn, dragged even.
Like Alice tumbling down a rabbit hole I can sense myself sinking down a winding path, twisting here, turning there and always spiralling further downward, to the very center.
Of what I have no freakin' clue. As a disembodied mind I don't really have access to a whole lot of sensory options. None, is the precise number now that I think about it. I think Vibrant would die of sheer boredom in this place! Not to mention Tiny, he'd have nothing to fight! Or eat....
Crinis would probably be quite fine though, now that I consider it. She'd miss the sensation of touch obviously but she's used to going without the others...
I continue to babble to myself to on the surface level of my mind mainly to distract from the sheer existential terror I'm experiencing.
I'M FREAKING OUT OVER HERE!
It isn't often your consciousness is quite literally dragged out of your body and pulled to a new location whilst you spin, completely blind and unaware of the process going on? How often could that possibly happen to a person!? It's only the second time I've ever experienced this sensation!
...
The realisation stills my pounding... mental... heart.. For a single second.
Actually... I did go through this whole thing before once didn't I?
I can remember, vaguely, what it felt like when I ... died, I guess? I could feel my mind slipping away from my body, pulled out and dragged through who knows what to who knows where. The hunger and sensation from my old body just faded away then everything went white and then...
[Then you heard a voice which welcomed you to your new world]
Yeah! Then Gandalf spoke to me and everything got started on this crazy antventure...
....
Gandalf!?
[Is that what you call me, young one?]
Well..... Yeah? That is certainly the voice of the Gandalf the Grey and I'll say the same even if you don't let me pass...
[Pass where?]
.... Doesn't matter I suppose. What's going on here exactly O Bearded One? Could I perhaps be returned to my body please?
[Your core has reached the level of density required for me to reach out to you in this way young Anthony. It is kind of ... traditional, that I speak to those like you personally at this point of their new journey]
Uh.... Don't you talk to me almost constantly? Every time I level up and so on?
[Those communications are a little more ... subconscious. For me to reach out to you with my active mind requires a little more... sturdiness on your part. You have reached this point very quickly I must say, you must have adapted to the monstrous life well]
That sturdiness comment is a little disturbing. I reached this point quickly? Compared to what? The other people like me? Just how many people do you drag in here Gandalf? Are you in the habit of abducting people?
...
Can I go away now? Please?
[I reach out to grasp an existence like yours and bring them into this world periodically. It helps... various things]
What do you mean 'like me'? I don't recall there being anything particularly special about me?
[Oh you don't? I have found it takes a certain resilience of mind, a certain .... Insanity, to allow a sentient creature such as a human to survive the transition to life in the Dungeon of this world without... breaking. I try to find souls such as yours, souls that have lived a life of deprivation and suffering. I find they are better equipped to handle the madness, slaughter and solitary life of a monster]
.....
.....
But... I don't particularly see myself as having suffered a horrible life or anything though? It was bit tough sometimes but, everybody hurts, you know?
....
(There is a slight stunned silence between the two us for a moment)
...
[You starved to death at age fifteen....]
....
Well ... yeah I know that right? But I always thought that was a bit more common than people gave it credit, you know? People starve to death all over the world, many of them younger than me. That's not so bad.
....
(I'm not sure that Gandalf was quite expecting the response he is getting)
[Weren't you also abandoned by your parents?]
...
I wouldn't necessarily say abandoned... They did disappear one morning with all of their clothes and any belongings that were worth anything. Not to mention my relatives immediately stopped answering my calls, leaving me stranded with debtors on the door.... But hey... could have been worse.
[Could have been worse?!]
Sure! ... Could have had my leg cut off.
...
...
[Didn't that happen too?]
Well.... A bit.
[A BIT?!]
Fine! Sheesh! So what!? I still had my pets at least.
[Ah yes, your pet colony of ants. You fed them everything you had, didn't you? Until you starved to death]
Can we stop talking about the death and such? I'm more of a forward looking person...
[Would you describe it as sane for a person to feed a colony of ants above themselves to the point they died from it?]
Not everyone has my sense of responsibility and devotion Gandalf, what can I say?
[That is the reason I reincarnated you as an ant, by the way, I thought it would be a ... comforting form for you]
So it really was pet ants = ant rebirth!? Dammit!
[You don't like it?]
.... It worked out ok in the end but I have to say Gandalf, it was quite a shaky start!
[Yes, many don't make it past the first few days, despite my best efforts]
So .. What happens to those who ... don't make it?
[Death, of course]
....
(Yikes!)
[I hope you can continue to succeed young Anthony, who knows, perhaps I'll see you in person one day]
In person? Like.. You're not a spirit or something? Where the heck are you?
[If you go down far enough, you should find me]
I just might you know! (not in a million years)
[You may not have a choice... Good luck!]
With that I feel my mind once again being manipulated by a power beyond its control, flung back out of wherever the heck I've been and up, up, up through the tendril and slammed back into my core.
Ouch!
From my core I can feel my consciousness once again settle inside its rightful house. Before I can even begin to process the bizarre conversation with He of the floppy hat I sink slowly into sleep as the evolution process takes hold of me properly.
Dangi...
-x-X-x-
Gradually my mind begins to resurface. It's a strange feeling, seeing as I don't actually get to sleep as an ant but rather going into the stasis like rest of torpor so I'm not actually used to properly blacking out like this.
The memory of what had taken place when I evolved still boils away in my mind. Gandalf? Is he actually down in the Dungeon somewhere? I push away the bad memories of my previous life that had been dragged up during the conversation, I don't waste time focusing on that stuff. I have plenty to be about in the here and now after all! I've got a new family, pets and a brand new Mother to look after, no point stuffing about thinking of things that are long gone.
Sensations bubble up in my awareness until the light comes on in my eyes and then BAM, I'm awake!
HAH!
HOOGABAH!
I'm here! I'm ready! It's actions stations people!
....
Why is my face full of fluff?!
Flexing my legs and body I can feel all of the familiar appendages are in their proper places, six legs, two antennae, the junk in my trunk. All seems good!
The real problem I have is all this damn fuzz in my face! What the heck is going on!
[Tiny!]
[....]
[Tiny is that you?!]
[....]
[Get the hell up Tiny! I need to move about in here!]
[.... Sleepy]
[Go sleep on the surface or something! I can't even see with all this fuzz in my eyes!]
[.... Tired]
[That's the same thing as sleepy! Get the heck out of here you lump!]
I can sense an exasperated sigh over the mental link, as if I'm the one being unreasonable! Just who does this ape think he is? And why the heck is he so damn fluffy now!?
Gradually the fuzz begins to shift and move and I can gradually see a little better. A wall of long white fuzzy hair rolls away from me towards the entrance where I can hear grunting punctuated by frustrated growls.
...
[Do you not fit?!]
[.... No]
Dangit! I shouldn't be too surprised since the entrance and chamber was a little squeezy before he evolved. Knowing Tiny and his general species I can only assume that he has gotten even more powerful and large after evolving. If I'd thought ahead properly I would have realised this would happen and made proper preparations.
[You'll have to dig your way out buddy. Try digging straight out that way and you should come out the side of the hill, near the top]
Our chamber is usually dug the closest to the top and off to the side somewhere, out of the way of the rest of the colony so there shouldn't be a problem if he starts digging his way through. Even if the side of the hill collapses it won't take down any chambers others than ours and we can dig out easily enough.
I hear a deep scraping as the ape starts to dig his way out. The only visible evidence I have of that is the shifting white hair pressed into my face.
Eventually he finally breaks through. Grunting happily to himself he hauls himself out into the light and I finally get a good look at his new size as he moves.
He's big! That's a big ape!
He was already large enough to put any earth sized gorilla to shame but he must have increased in size by thirty percent with this evolution! If he were to stand up to his maximum height he'd probably crack ten feet, easy! His thick, powerful arms are covered in long white hairs, the shorter hair on his torso is also mostly white. On closer inspection, he isn't pure snow white like a polar bear, more of a burnished silvery colour.
Is he a silverback now?
[What species are you now Tiny, do you remember?]
Out on the side of the hill now and basking in the sunshine, Tiny turns to look at me and I can see his bat face is now completely black, rather than the dark grey it used to be. His eyes however are a deep glowing red.
[...]
[Your species? What kind of monster are you now? Do you know at all bud?]
He stares at me blankly.
[Did your cunning actually go DOWN?!]
[...]
Holy moly! Just how muscle-brained is this guy going to get as he keeps evolving? If he gets any dumber than this he'll forget how to eat! Looking at his bulky form that practically radiates strength I can only imagine how potent those massive fists have become now. This species clearly prioritises physical strength above all else, even having a brain.
In some ways he makes the perfect pet but I wish he had a bit more going on in the upstairs department. I want him to be able to have independent thoughts and be able to think for himself, rather than rely on me to point him in the right direction and make sure he has what he needs. Ah well. Maybe I can do something about that down the line.
Now that I have a little more space in the chamber, as well as a snazzy new natural lighting I can get a handle on what is going on in the room. Where is Vibrant? She doesn't seem to be over in her corner, so she must have woken up by now.. Where is she?
"Vibrant?" I call.
"Hi-Hi!" I hear her chirpy response.
....
Did that come from...
Using my antennae I feel around on the top of my head and sure enough something is there. Shifting my head position back a little I can clearly see her beady little ant eyes staring back at me. She looks almost exactly the same! Wait!
"Have you evolved, Vibrant?"
"Yup-yup!"
DANG.
"Do you remember what species you chose?" I grate out.
"Of course! Vibrant took one of the special options, just like Senior said! Superior Hatchling Worker!" she declares proudly.
So still a hatchling.
I slump to the ground, defeated. I'm going to have to put up with this helpless little freeloader until she reaches level ten, then craft another special core for her, then maybe she'll become useful after that!
Haaaah.
Oh well. No use crying over spilt.... Something.
I can see that Crinis is still in place, nestled onto my mid-section between the joints where my legs attach to my carapace.
[How are you Crinis? Ready to go and get large?]
[Ready master] she replies, [Was your evolution successful?]
[It was! Some very nice bonuses picked up this time!]
[You don't seem to have changed much that I can tell master] she says, extending a few little tentacles to pat about my carapace, probably checking my size.
[All of the changes took place on the inside this time! And they weren't small either!] I boast, [wait and see what I can do now]
[I look forward to it master]
I can already feel the difference within me. My mind is positively humming with strength, like a sports car sitting in neutral, just revving and ready to go. I can feel my sub-brains sitting idly inside me, each of them are more powerful than the single one I had before and I now have the ability to harness them together, get them to act in concert on a single task.
I can't wait to flex this new mental muscle!
Let's try it!
Mana! Transfooooooooorm!
Eagerly I direct my new mental rig to attempt the never before achieved mana transformation. This process is so difficult that I honestly have no idea how any human is actually able to achieve it at all, let alone in a fight!
First I need to bring the mana out of my core, directing it into threads that I begin to weave and shape into a mind bending construction that I'm beginning to suspect goes a little beyond the three dimensions I'm familiar with. Intricate whoops and whirls that curve back and in on themselves before fine filigree patterns are weaved on the outside AND on the inside of almost the entire thing!
I get a headache just picturing the stupid thing.
At least... I did.
Muu... muuuha..... Mua!.... MUAHAHAHAHA!!!
YESSSSSSS!
Throwing the bulk of the work over to my sub brains I can feel them thrum into life as they take the strain of directing and shaping the mana. The cortex acts like a foreman, directing the efforts of the two brains to ensure they don't overlap and their independent efforts slot together like clockwork.
I can feel the sub brains straining under the load of directing the whispy threads of energy but they are far more capable than the old sub brain was. Not only is their mental strength beefier but they have an upgraded amount of willpower, giving them a bit more grunt.
What this does is free up my main mind to patch up the gaps. Keeping the whole picture on my mind as I leap in and patch up wherever I notice a deviation or a particularly tricky bit that the sub brains can't quite handle on their own.
Gradually, over a few minutes the mind magic transformation construct begins to take shape and excitement rises in my heart. It might actually happen this time!
-x-X-x-
Nearly there!
This construct has defeated me over and over again. To the point that this glittering shape of mana is literally burned into the insides of my eyelids. Except that I don't have eyelids. Not the point!
With every passing second the shape begins to come together, weaved out of threads of light, it shines brilliantly inside my mind.
Finally!
*crunch*
AW HECK!
In my eagerness I slip in my control and one of the threads get shunted out of place. Which, of course, causes the entire thing to collapse in on itself and dissipate into nothing....
.....
GAAAAAAAAH!
Undone by my own eagerness and joy at success! This is the cruel irony of the world at play and not entirely my fault!
Ok it is.
I can almost feel the smouldering resentment from my own sub brains, irritated that I ruined their work. What the heck!? You don't' get to be mad at me dammit! I'll make you guys transform mana on your own until you melt into sludge!
That's right! That's who's in charge!
Putting aside this failure I'm still feeling extremely positive. I'd never been that close to succeeded in that notorious transformation before and now I almost nailed it on my first attempt! With diligent practice I'm sure I'll be able to succeed. If I can manage the mind mana transformation then I can surely succeed with the simple ones. It seems this evolution was a wild success!
The next thing I'm keen to try is working on the cores. If I can practice the core engineering skill at a faster rate then I'll be massively pleased!
Rushing over to the cores I roll one out with my mandibles and crack right in.
Core Engineering!
My mind sink down into the little core in front of me and the nebulous energies that contain the information, the mana DNA, of the monster rise in my mind.
Now for the tricky bit.
Bringing the force of my mind to bare and calling upon the reserves that are my sub brains for assistance I begin to force and hold the changes to the information in the core. What I find almost immediately is... it's so much easier! First of all, forcing the change is a breeze with all the power I have humming inside my head, then locking into place is so much easier that I'm able to task my sub brains with that and then move onto the next change immediately!
This is going to increase the speed of my skill training immensely!
Happily I continue to shove around the values in the core, making large stat changes sometimes and then going in and making finer adjustments to the body shape, muscle density, even the brain matter! As usual the process becomes more and more difficult the further away from the original state of the core we get, but with my newfound mental strength I can push it so much further than before, reaping more xp from every core that I start to work on.
I could almost cry, this is everything I wished for! Now my core engineering skills will be able to go to the next level!
Once I hit the wall with the first core I push it to one side and then take a brief rest. If I alternate resting and working I'll be able to work for longer and grind my skills more efficiently, even with my extra brain power this rule will hold true.
After a minute or two I shift over to the next core and then the next. On it goes until the fatigue starts to mount up but I push through until my mind is entering the familiar braindead zone that I spent so much of the last few days in.
[Core Engineering has reached level 8]
Haaaaaaa. Yes!
Two whole levels from grinding today. It took me hours of effort but on the other hand, with my new brain rig I'm able to make more changes to each core, and work for a longer period of time, before I fall flat and run out of energy. This is a huge boost and gaining two levels in one go is evidence of the kind of power my new brain is packing!
Two more and I'll be able to morph it into the next level of the skill I cannot wait!
Literally, I can't.
I know Tiny is hungry and Vibrant is bored, I think she's run off somewhere with Crinis actually., but this is too important to me. My biggest goal and major project is dependent on this skill taking shape.
Determined to see it through I decisively ... take a nap! Need to replenish my mental stores. When I wake up I notice that Tiny has shifted his position and moved somewhere below me. Judging by my senses he got tired of waiting and tunnelled his way down to underneath the Queens chamber so he'd at least have something to eat.
I don't mind that, I'm starving myself actually, but the cores come first!
Cores, cores, cores!
Pleased to notice that my headache is resolved I jump straight back into grinding and the hours while away until my thoughts are sluggish and my head is pounding. The pile of cores I've worked on goes past fifty and almost reaches seventy by the time I finally get the announcement.
[Core Engineering has reached level 10, skill upgrade available]
[Core Engineering -> Core Surgery. This skill guides the user when making finer and detailed changes to core energies, also enables the manipulation of the core of living creatures]
Awwwwww snap!
I knew it! I had a feeling this was coming after my conversation with Formo, after all, how could they create such insanely powerful monsters in one go? Surely they worked on them over a number of evolutions after setting the core up the way they liked it! Here is the proof I was right!
Gweheheheheh.
This will enable me to work on the cores of Tiny and Crinis if I want, adjusting their path of evolution as they go! Not to mention the project I've been wanting to do this whole time. It's going to be a lot of work but the future of the colony will never look brighter once I'm done!
That's right. I'm going to work on the Queen! If she agrees then I'll use this skill to make adjustments to her core, not changing her at all, but focusing on her children. If I can make her offspring more intelligent, more like Vibrant, then I'll be able to teach and guide them, turning them into something more than just workers.
Don't get me wrong, my siblings are great ants, loyal and brave, hardworking, basically better than me in almost every aspect. After seeing them cut down in their dozens by the humans as they charged blindly forward though... I decided then that I would have to make a change.
Ants are designed to fight that way, to sacrifice themselves, hurl themselves forward and overwhelm the enemy with sheer numbers, their lives treated as disposable. I don't want my siblings to live like that! Family is important! I want them to be intelligent and clever, surviving the fight and not dying off pointlessly.
With this skill I can make it happen. I'll go into the core and modify the offspring of the Queen until they are like me.. Super ants!
-x-X-x-
At this moment, with my head filled with the glorious victory of the new super-ant race, I notice something a little odd.
There is a dull ache coming right from my core.
What the heck is with that? What on Pangera makes your core hurt? Do I have core-itis? Flu of the core? Seasonal Core swelling?
I'm unusually disturbed by this inexplicable pain. Once formed, the core is attached to a monsters life force. If anything where to happen to it I'm not sure how long I'd last!
Focusing intently on this feeling I try to analyse it. When I carefully sense the area around my core the issue becomes clearer, there is more going on than meets the eye. Almost like a lung that is slowly leaking, as time passes my core is slowly draining energy out into the air. Almost as if when my body tries to draw in mana there isn't anything there and then I 'exhale' mana out.
I'm losing mana!
As time passes the loss becomes more noticeable until I was stuck with this pain that I can now feel. It's literally my core gasping for air! I need mana! Whilst the pain is completely debilitating now it's only going to get worse the more energy I leak.
I suddenly realise that this must have been what was inflicting the Queen! Weakened and in pain by the lack of mana she had literally been bleeding her life out into the air until I had finally noticed something was wrong.
I can't help but get a little emotional.
Dammit Mother! Just how self-sacrificing can you be!? Just because I'd said the colony would be safe on the surface you were willing to bleed mana from your core until you died?! Why is it the best Mother I've ever had is a giant ant?
Well now I feel like garbage. Not only because my core is increasingly pained but the guilt of unknowingly causing such suffering to a dear parent. I'll make it up to you Queen! You'll be the mother of the most successful ant colony in the history of the entire .. Wherever we are!
I'm not really sure if this is the same universe as the one I was born it, come to think of it. Something to ask Gandalf if I ever see him again.
Well now that I know about this problem, what am I going to do about it? The fact that it took a few days for the problem to grow this severe means I'm not completely unable to operate on the surface, I'll just have to take frequent trips underground. Actually, is this the reason that Tiny has relocated himself underground? It's possible that his core has also advanced to the point where he can't sustain himself on the surface level of mana.
Sighing to myself I grasp my bag of unworked on cores in my mandibles and make my way down to where Tiny is currently sitting munching on some low level plants that leapt out of the walls and into his waiting hands.
As soon as I descend past the surface level and into the Dungeon proper I can feel a sense of relief. As the light emitted by the mana veins washes over me and my feet begin drinking energy in a steady flow the pain in my core begins to ease. I can feel myself getting a little more energetic and alert as I stop leeching out my life into the air. Feels good!
This incident does really hit home at something that Gandalf said. When he told me I might join him one day he suggested I might have a choice but to go further down. Is this what he meant? Every time I condense my core and evolve I'll have a higher requirement for mana, forcing me to live deeper and deeper in the Dungeon? I guess this explains why the most powerful monsters live closer to the center...
I'm not sure how I feel about this. Obviously evolving is the best thing in the universe I should keep doing it, but then aren't I basically imprisoning myself?
....
It's complicated! Think about it later!
This is my policy and I'll stick to it!
Tiny seems quite relaxed down here, his silvery hair taking on a distinct blue shade in the reflected light of the Dungeon. I pass him the bag and then take some time to hollow out a chamber for us to use, shoving the loose soil further down the tunnel. Once that's done I ask Tiny to keep watch for me and rest a little before resuming my core grinding. I don't want to rush over and start working on the Queen's core straight away with Core Surgery at level 1. If I can push a few more levels out of it then I'll be more confident at being able to achieve my goal.
Back to grinding!
It takes a few more naps and one hundred cores before I finally achieve Core Surgery level 3. By this time my brain feels like a puddle of sludge and my other brains aren't much better. Despite my improved mental power, grinding through so many cores in such a short time has pushed me right up to the wall. This kind of speed would have been completely impossible before my evolution so there is that to celebrate. I have to say though, training this line of skills is a pain in the ass!
Who has one hundred cores lying around, Gandalf?!
All in all I've nearly gone through two hundred cores over the last few days, perfecting my skill at making nuanced changes to monsters and grinding that precious xp to get to this point. How long would it have taken me to amass all of these cores if I hadn't been able to rob the Lirian vault?
Not wanting to waste the opportunity I flick cores at Tiny until he's full up. He's at the same level of evolution as I am so it takes fifty cores for him to top out, then I do the same for myself.
[Your core has reached max capacity for your level of evolution].
Hue hue hue hue.
So soon after evolving and my core is already maxed out. It feels so good! All we need now is the special cores but there is no way I'm going to put up with that pain for an extended time again. I can whip those up right when we are ready to evolve.
Although.... If you give it enough time would you get used to it enough that you could absorb a second one.....
As if reading my thoughts Tiny raises his head a glares at me with his dark red eyes.
....
Never mind!
I don't think I'll be able to raise the skill any higher for the short term, so I take good nap, getting Tiny to defend me from the spawning monsters and making sure he feeds the Biomass to Crinis.
When I wake up I'm fully refreshed. Time to head over to the Queen and try this out!
Zipping up the tunnel, full of beans I push my way through the crowd of workers and come face to face with Mother once again. The giant ant is quite placid at the moment, perhaps enjoying this interlude of relative quiet.
"Hello Mother, how are things?" I enquire.
She reaches forward to tap on my head. "I am well little one. The colony has been safe here, you have done well".
Awwww shucks! I'm not used to this sort of praise. If I could blush I would!
"Thanks Mother" I beam, "I'm glad I could help!"
"Of course child. We should always seek to better our family" she says warmly.
"Exactly! That's why I'm here!" I say enthusiastically, "I've gained a skill that will allow me to make all of the ants in the colony stronger!"
The Queen's antennae whip about a little in surprise. "Really child? That's wonderful" she says.
Now for the tricky bit. I hesitate a little at this point. "Thing is, it'll only work on the ants who haven't been born yet, I can't do anything to the family members who are already alive".
The Queen seems confused. "What are you planning on doing?" she asks.
I really have no idea how the monstrous Queen is going to react to the idea of me modifying her core. She is quite intelligent for a monster but her own logic and mine and quite different, as well as our experiences. This Queen is still not even one year old, after all, she can't compare to my own nearly sixteen years of life.
"This is what I can do" I decide to explain it all carefully, "I can perform the skill on your core, while you rest here. Then I can make the young that will be born in the future more powerful, smarter. I'm hoping that by doing this more of them will be able to survive and grow until they can evolve, making the colony stronger"
The Queen wibbles her antennae around for a while as she digests this news. "So you think you will be able to keep more children alive?" she asks.
"Yes" I reply, "Their species won't change and they will still be our family, but they'll be better equipped to survive and live a long life. What do you think?"
This is the magic moment. I've worked so hard to try and make this project a reality but if the Queen says no then I won't question it. The project will die right here. Perhaps it's silly to take the feeling of a monster into account but this giant ant is no ordinary monster to me, this is the best parent and family member I've ever had.
My main motivation for this project isn't even for ant world domination. I just don't want to see my siblings throwing their lives way anymore. I want them to be smart enough to retreat when needed and be able to take care of themselves.
I look the Queen straight in the eye and await her judgement. I tried to be as honest as I could and explain things in a way she could understand. My heart is pounding in my chest as she gazes calmly back at me.
Eventually she speaks.
"Of course child. It is the responsibility of every member of our family to strengthen the whole. If you can achieve this we will all benefit. That is what being part of the colony is about. You can start when you are ready".
Of course, I should never have doubted the Queen's capacity to risk herself for her children.
-x-X-x-
Tentatively, I bring my antennae into contact with the Queen's and then activate the skill.
Core Surgery!
With what I learned during the skill upgrade I know that all I need is to be touching a part of the body on the monster I'll be 'operating' on but with an ant it feels like the antennae are the most appropriate place.
As soon as the skill is activated I feel a massive burst of information as the details of the Queen's core explode in my mind.
Yikes!
The Queen has by far the most complicated and powerful monster core I've seen with the exception of Formo's worm! Frantically I put my sub brains to work processing all of this information before the onslaught of data just straight knocks me out. With my backup dancers doing their part the pressure eases off instantly and I look in awe at the elegance of the Queen's core.
She's actually a very powerful and rare creature isn't she?
I got the impression that ants weren't common in the Dungeon, based on what the Queen told me, usually appearing randomly at the bottom of the first strata or sometimes even lower than that. After all, they have the extremely rare ability to produce their own offspring, rather than waiting for the Dungeon to spawn more of their kind. We ants aren't the only ones in the Dungeon with this ability but we are among the most feared.
Looking at the Queen's core I can finally see how this function works. The Queen actually has a network of glands and organs that work together to perform this job. I had thought I'd just find an 'Egg-laying organ +10' or something in here but it isn't the case. The Queen has three total organs that contribute to producing her offspring.
The way the offspring are produced is also not what I expected. Rather than being made from nothing, as eggs that then need to mature, the Queen actually converts Biomass that she eats into eggs that can then be born. THIS is the reason that the workers bring her almost all of the Biomass that they catch. Biomass points are directly converted into new workers inside the Queen!
In a flash I make another realisation. This is why the Queen's egg producing rate has gone down ever since we came up to the surface! Like me, she has a powerful core and is a higher tier monster. She doesn't get much Biomass from eating surface monsters or weak, lower level creatures. She was born at the lowest reaches of the first Strata, her natural prey are down there! With so little Biomass points being produced, her rate of laying has plummeted.
This also explains the connected organs for egg producing.
Firstly she has an organ attached to her stomach that is designed to drain off Biomass and covert it to some kind of liquid sludge. This is the Biomass Conversion Organ and it looks as if the Queen hasn't upgraded it at all...
I bet she spent almost every bit of Biomass on eggs and healing upgrades...
Sure enough, when I check through all of her organ data she's upgraded her antennae to +5 for healing channelling and upgraded her healing mana gland to +5 to take burst heal upgrade that lets her wave out the energy over an area, perfect for healing a huge army of ants.
She's really too unselfish. This also shows a little lack of wisdom due to her being a young monster. Upgrading the egg production organs is by far the fastest way to grow the colony's power. I'll have to convince her to upgrade all the organs related to producing eggs as quickly as possible, all the way to +10 if we can, but at least to +5.
The second organ in the process is the lifeform recoding organ. If the job of the Conversion Organ is to strip the Biomass of its properties, turning it into a multipurpose goo, then this organ is for reshaping that stuff into the necessary material for ant egg making.
Finally there was the egg production gland itself. This was responsible for taking the reformed goop and making it into ant eggs, essentially encoding ant DNA on the sludge.
This process is going to be more complicated than I thought. I figured I could just go to the 'baby ant' section and whip up some magic but apparently not! I may have to make changes to multiple organs here and rework them slightly.
I think I'll have to work backwards. I'll start at the last step, the egg production organ. Reaching in with the most delicate control my combined minds can muster, I ever so carefully begin to make fine adjustments to the design of the eggs produced by the organ.
I don't have any intention of changing the early life phases of the ants. They'll go from eggs to larvae, as usual. In fact I actually extend the early, development phase of their lives. By increasing their youthful state I gain leeway to develop them into more complex organism at the end of the process. The longer the gestation period the more 'allowance' I get. I don't want to keep the young in larval form for ages but a little longer than they do currently gives me a little wiggle room, I'm looking at adding a lot of complexity to these guys.
The first thing I do is give the hatchling worker a much more complex brain, beefing up the cunning stat considerably. I won't be able to get them to the same level of Cunning that I had when I was reborn as an ant and I'm not aiming too. If I gave them a brain that complicated they'd be larval for a year and the Queen would need so much Biomass to produce a single egg it wouldn't be worth it. Instead I'll give them the intelligence of a young human child which they can build on over the course of their evolutions.
The next thing I do is give them the pheromone language gland at birth. This way I'll be able to communicate and teach them right from the moment they are born. If they can ask questions and talk with each other then they should all advance at a faster pace.
Hmmmm...
These complicated additions are really stressing the system here. I've overdrawn on my budget. To balance out the changes I've made I'm forced to reduce the physical stats of the hatchlings to an even more horrible floor than they already started with. They'll be smaller and weaker than the current workers by a significant margin. It shouldn't matter though. My goal is to raise them up myself until they achieve their first evolution, then I'm hoping they'll be strong enough to take care of the next generation without me.
Next I push my current core engineering skill to the very limit and begin to change the evolutionary paths available to the workers. At the very least I can alter the first few tiers. The inbuilt knowledge that comes with my skill tells me that the system will be able to fill in the rest even if I don't settle it myself. I just have to hope that it can carry on with the foundations I lay in a sensible way.
For the future ant society I'm envisioning I create three basic paths of evolution. The soldier path for those ants dedicated to battle, the support path for those who will be healers, tend to the young and become the future Queens and the artisan path for the ants who will indulge in their love of digging and making stuff. I'm extremely curious to see exactly what sort of things a highly intelligent ant decides to create!
The Soldiers will obviously focus on physical stats and resilience. Their future paths include leaders with auras, tanks and scouts. Each individual can flavour their own path with whatever skills and mutations they like so hopefully this allows enough individuality.
The Support or Worker class will be more intelligent, focus on the work of the colony, caring for the brood and the Queens. Their future paths include Juvenile Queens, Healer ants and Brood tenders.
The Artisans are the caste I'm depending on to take over my core manipulation duties. I don't want to have to form special cores myself for every ant in the colony after all. These guys are highly intelligent and have a strong will but are the weakest physically by far. Their paths include Core Manipulator, Ant Mage and Carver ant. The last one I gifted with exceedingly mobile claws on their front legs, almost like hands. I'm not sure what they'll be able to do with them but perhaps they'll surprise me.
I also manage to put in place special evolutions for each of these paths. I don't think an entire colony of ants will be able to fully reinforce their cores or anything but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
By now the changes are really starting to push back hard and my mind is hitting the wall. I judge I won't be able to do much more before I can't go any further. I carefully check over my work so far to make sure I haven't made any massive mistakes like shift their antennae into the middle of their eyes or something.
With that task settled I sit back and take in my work, figuratively speaking. Despite the downgrades I've made the rate of egg production for the new ants is still going to be about half of what is was before. I'm ok with this though. If each of the new workers can prove to be twice as effective as the previous then it'll work out just fine.
Next I move onto the secondary organ and make the minute adjustments to ensure that the Bio-Soup being produced contains the extra bits and pieces needed to produce the new juiced up eggs.
By this point my head is on fire. There isn't anything more I can do here even if I wanted to. Hopefully the work I've done here is sufficient to make my dream a reality.
With that I withdraw my mind from the core of the Queen.
-x-X-x-
My mind snaps back to its regular housing and I take a moment to reorient myself. I'm still where I was before, partially buried in a mound of workers with the Queen standing in front of me, quite close.
"Are you alright child?" she asks, seeing me suddenly look so fatigued.
"I'm completely fine!" I gasp out as my brain continues to melt into sludge, "how are you? How did it all go?"
I'm anxious to know if there was any pain or discomfort during the process. I could have tested it on my pets but there is a chance that the skill would have a different effect on them since they have a different relationship with me than most monsters. In the end I went ahead and worked on the Queen hoping that it would all be fine.
"I am fine" the Queen assures me, "it tickled a bit"
....
Tickled?
So having the fundamental makeup of your being tinkered with only results in a tickle?
Thank goodness!
"That's great!" I cry, "excellent! The whole process has been a success! Hopefully from now own our family will experience a great gain in strength!"
I stick around to counsel the Queen about spending some Biomass to mutate her egg production organs. She is quite reluctant at first but after trying several arguments I eventually tell her that by upgrading all three organs to +5 it will greatly increase the effect of the changes I've made to her core. This isn't really a lie. If she upgrades those organs and chooses some good mutation advancements for them the rate of egg production will increase as the overall efficiency of the system goes up. I don't know for sure what advancement choices will appear but it isn't hard to guess that almost all of them will be based around speeding up the process, reducing the cost of each egg or improving the stats of the offspring, any of which would be fine!
Once I'm certain that the Queen has agreed to upgrade all three organs before beginning to produce the new workers I drag myself back down to where Tiny is waiting and take a quick nap. The relentless battering my mind has taken has pushed even my newly evolved self pretty darn hard. Using the Core Surgery skill in particular was exceptionally draining. If I'd attempted to do it with my old self I'd have had absolutely no chance of getting anywhere at all. My respect for the Sophos only increases the further I walk down the path of core manipulation. Just how powerful are their minds to create the things they do? Are their brains filling their heads and extending down into their torso? Where do they fit it all?!
When I awake it isn't because I've rested my fill, but rather because my antennae are picking up something strange. Emergency pheromones from the workers!
Gah!
What is it?! What's happening?!
[TINY! Come on man! Action stations!] I blearily shout.
For once my pet ape is actually awake and when he sees me stumbling about drunkenly as I struggle to get my bearings he reaches out with massive paw and grabs hold of me firmly before picking me up and placing me on his shoulder.
I clutch onto his fur to avoid falling flat on my face and just like that he's up and moving, carrying me along for the ride. With his massive arms he reaches out and takes hold of the tunnel walls before dragging his massive frame upwards as if climbing on a jungle gym.
When we reach the Queen's chamber it is buzzing like a hive, the workers jittering this way and that and some of them stream upwards to the peak of the hill. The majority of them seem to want to remain and defend the Queen albeit in a highly agitated manner. Buried somewhere in that nervous mass of the workers the Queen seems content to stay still for the time being. I don't try to talk to her since it would be difficult to get a pheromone message through what is essentially hundreds of workers screaming "Emergency!" at the top of their lungs.
Being careful not to crush the ants as he moves Tiny continues to carry us to the surface one handhold at a time. By this stage I've mostly sorted myself out. My headache hasn't fully receded but it's much improved from when I began my rest. I've managed to notice Crinis and Vibrant are relaxing on my person as per usual, which is something of a relief. I'd rather they be where I can see them that off gallivanting somewhere when there might be a potential attack...
When Tiny makes his way out in the light at the top of the anthill I can finally take in the situation. Hundreds of ants have already appeared in response to the threat, aggressively postured to defend the colony from all directions.
Beyond them I can see something I truly did not expect to see.
Several hundred dishevelled looking humans are clustered around a number of wagons pulled by extremely poorly looking horses. At the lead is a figure that I sadly recognise all too well.
The priest, his robes stained with dirt and potentially dried blood becomes ecstatic at the sight of me and runs forward, spooking the workers considerably. They gnash their mandibles at him and I reluctantly ask them to settle down as I advance forward to meet him.
My life might be significantly simplified by this guy vanishing but I don't really want to kill him of anything. Besides, judging by the look of all of these people something rather serious has gone down. I recognise a few others in the group as members of the village that had rallied around me and the Queen during our short lived cooperation. In fact, the old lady I had captured before is here before... Enid!
As soon as the priest reaches me he falls to his knees and begins proclaiming in a loud voice, turning to indicate that the villagers behind him should do the same.
....
This guy really wants to feed the dark one's ego, doesn't he?
I still have no idea what the heck he is saying so for the time being I have to leave him to his own devices. It's a darn good thing I've evolved and actually have a chance to pull off the mind magic transformation, otherwise I'd be forced into some kind of interpretive dance right now.
Turning my attention inwardly and ignoring the prostrating human in front of me I summon the combined power of the brains and begin to painstakingly work on the transformation structure.
Not daring to allow myself any slips this time I double my focus and take everything slowly. This time I manage to make it all the way to the end of the process without stuffing it up but so careful and painstaking was I that it takes a full ten minutes for me finally complete it. During this time the humans have started to grow increasingly fidgety but the priests' capacity to extol my virtues seems to be endless.
Success! Finally complete! I admire the fiendishly complex final product in my mind. I've no idea why it's so outlandishly difficult to construct but it's done! Now to put the darn thing to use.
Along with the knowledge of how to construct the various mana transformers, the way to use them was also granted to me with the purchase of the skill. The construct itself doesn't do anything special, it's simply the magical mixing bowl that changes regular, attribute-less mana into the desired type.
In this instance, what I do is maintain the finished construct with one of my sub-brains and get the other to draw out raw mana from my core, which is then fed into the shape in a specific way. As soon as the raw mana enters, the construct leaps into life, surprising me momentarily. I didn't know it moved!
The entire construct begins to spin and whorl, different sections moving at different speeds and in subtly different directions. The entire effect is like a beautiful dance, like an engine but infinitely more intricate.
Then finally, FINALLY, out the other end of the construct a thin thread of glittering golden light emerges, Mind Mana!
With my main mind I eagerly seize this new mana and begin to replicate the spell I'd seen Formo cast so magnificently and the human Queen cast so poorly.
Mind Mana can do a heck of a lot more than this, I'm sure, but from what I've gathered this spell, which effectively enables universal communication between any two organisms smart enough to think, kind of overshadows the rest of the kit.
The Mind Bridge.
Hesitantly at first, then with growing confidence, I reach out and connect to the best Human for the job.
[Enid, what are you people doing here?]
The old lady leaps a foot in the air and drops her basket, spilling its contents and drawing the attention of the people around her.
"ME?!" she squawks.
[Yes, you] I snap.
Enid immediately stumbles forward until she reaches the side of the still sonorously praising one-armed priest.
I see her concentrate and then her voice appears in my mind.
[Wouldn't it be more appropriate to communicate with this man?] she indicates the priest, [it was he who led our people to this place].
This priest?! How the heck did he find me?! Does he have some sort of tracking device on me or something?! More likely he was able to follow our trail somehow but the bottom line remains, what the heck are these people here for? They certainly don't look as they've come to fight, judging by the number of women and children in the crowd, not to mention the sheer lack of arms.
[I will speak to you since I have had dealings with you before. Make it clear to the others I am speaking to you].
I don't want to talk to that guy. He makes me a nervous.
Enid take a moment to gingerly touch the priest on the shoulder and indicate that I am communicating with her using mind magic. Rather than disappointed, the priests face is overcome with enlightenment and he bows low before me, head nearly touching the ground, before he backs away to speak animatedly to the crowd. Nothing phases this guy...
[Enid. Tell me why these people have followed my family here to the wild lands]
She hesitates a moment before she speaks. [Our homes have been destroyed. After you vanished following the assault on the castle things settled down at first. Many of the villagers wanted to know where you went but we weren't told anything. Things were calm for a week but then...]
She shivers then, her recollections are apparently still terrifying.
Enid draws a deep breath before focusing her mind once more. [Then the capital caught fire. We could hear the roaring of beasts from our houses and flames reached the so high it was sky was burning. We were terrified, nobody knew what to do. Then monsters burst out of the Dungeon and into the church, dozens of them. Some of the villagers fought for a time but they were never ending. Then the big ones came...]
She pauses for a moment, unable to go on. I'm not as good at reading human expressions as perhaps I was before but she seems overwhelmed with sadness and tears are streaming down her cheeks.
[Giant crocodiles came out. The children of Garralosh. They killed so many... Only thanks to Father Beyn did we survive. He rallied the survivors and organised a retreat. We ran from the town with nothing but what we could carry on our backs or throw onto a few carts. With the capital burning we had nowhere to go].
She gestures to the broken and desperate people behind her. [Without food or supplies, without knowing what was happening we decided to flee south. We heard word of the colony's passage as we travelled. Father Beyn believed that perhaps you would be able to help us as you had in the past and so we came here looking for you].
Looking me in the eye I can see she doesn't hold much hope. Having interacted with me directly and taken part in the deception to save her village from themselves she knows that I am not an altruistic saviour from the Dungeon as the priest believed.
[I just hope that you will let us settle nearby and leave us in peace, that's all we can ask. If you aren't willing then you may as well eat us] she says bitterly, [we've lost everything and have nowhere else to go].
I don't think I'll be eating anyone here, even if I do need Biomass. I'll be getting that from the Dungeon in short order, I need to prepare myself before the future generation of ant workers is born! This is a critical time for me and the colony! I don't want any of this crap to interfere with me raising the future workforce!
[Tell your people to go make camp at least one kilometre in that direction] I point with my antennae in front of the shocked woman, [tell Beyn I want him to get them settled make sure they don't interfere with the workers or approach the nest, he's in charge. I want you to stick around so I can ask more questions].
Surprised and joyful, Enid passes my words onto the others. The people appear glad to some extent, a little light returns to their dark and dull faces. With a little more energy and spring in their step they turn as Beyn, delirious with joy at being entrusted with this task begins to lead the others across, helping them to their feet and urging them with his persuasive voice.
[Enid, sit there] I point the tired old woman to a nearby stone and she gladly hobbles over to it and sits. I have no idea how she managed the journey at her age, trudging by foot over such a large distance. It was tiring enough for me and I'm a monster!
[What has happened Enid? Tell me what you know].
She shakes her head, grey hair swaying around her ears. [I don't know much. I think the monsters have invaded the surface. The capital got the worst of it, I can't imagine any other reason for the whole city to be torched like that. Those poor people...]
There would have been thousands of people trapped inside those walls. It isn't hard to imagine the chaos that would have occurred.
[I know a little about the Dungeon] Enid continues, [my husband taught me a lot about his work. It isn't normal for monsters to approach the surface like this. Something strange is happening].
I have no doubt about that. To me, strange stuff has been happening ever since I arrived here, so I'm not too fussed by it.
[You mentioned the Croca-Beasts? I mean the Garralosh Infants? Why bring them up in particular?]
[There were a lot of them. More than you would normally expect. You usually only find those things around here when their Mother has been past and lain a clutch of eggs somewhere deep but these ones were young. I have to think they were lain somewhere close to the surface, which would mean...]
[Wait a moment] I interrupt, [their Mother?!]
The older woman looks at me somewhat confused. [Of course, didn't the Queen tell you about Garralosh?]
[... not really].
[Garralosh has been around this area, deep in the Dungeon for hundreds of years. A century ago the beast decided to try and raise its own young. Ever since then it's hateful offspring have filled the Dungeon under Liria].
So all of those damnable Crocs actually DID come from a single parent? Like.. ALL of them? I know how that process works now, unless there is some crazy variant of it. That Garralosh monster would have had to have eaten an absolute mountain of Biomass to produce so many large and complex creatures.
Enid breaks into my thoughts with her mental voice. [I think Garralosh must have risen up in the Dungeon and assaulted the surface. It sounds insane, since something like that hasn't happened for thousands of years but it's the only thing I can think of that fits. Just... How? WHY?]
[Oh, that's easy] I say absentmindedly, [the mana level in the Dungeon is still getting higher is all].
First shock, then horror overtake Enid's face before her eyes roll back in her head and she passes out.
-x-X-x-
Once Enid wakes up and manages to gather herself I speak to her a little longer before sending her back to her people. Then I lay a heck of a big pheromone marker around their campsite encouraging the workers not to eat them.
If they run into a worker outside of that ring.... That'll be a little different. Although I'm inclined to trust these people a heck of a lot more than I ever trusted their Queen I'm not prepared to let them run around willy nilly. They've been given a very small hurdle to jump over as the first action towards building trust, let's see how they go.
Job done I wander back over to the anthill, collecting Tiny on the way and we descend down to our little chamber, snacking on a few monsters once we get there.
....
This is the last thing we needed right now!! The changes to the Queen's core have only just been made, it'll be a week, two at the most, before she's ready and lain the first batch of the new wave of workers. I cannot afford to have anything go wrong! Those ants will be a heck of a lot smarter than the previous hatchlings but they are also significantly weaker! These ants are going to be like human infants, without someone to help guide them and raise them in the beginning they won't be able to reach their potential!
If I've got giant Croca-Babies and their Mother burning the Dungeon tunnels and the entire surface to the ground then it's hardly going to be an idea environment to raise ant hatchlings!
What a pain in the thorax!
What the heck am I going to do?
I can't just leave it as is... Enid made it perfectly clear that there would likely be more refugees from Liria heading south over the next few days. She seemed to think that the destruction was centred on the capital and then expanded outwards. There were a whole lot of panicked people in the towns and villages they passed, getting ready to flee at the first sign of danger. Those people are probably already on the road in this direction.
Even if I don't do anything about it the problem will reach me eventually. If those Crocs and the other monsters are running about on the surface then there's no reason to believe they won't come here.
Only one thing for it then. If I'm going to get the peace and quiet I need to change the destiny of ant kind then I'm going to have to clear up our little Croc problem.
First things first!
[Tiny! Crinis! It's time to go smash stuff and eat!]
"Vibrant! Where did you get to?!"
"Here-here!"
She's on top of Tiny's head for a change, I should encourage that.
"We're moving out into the Dungeon, we need to clear it at high speed and stuff ourselves with Biomass as we go. You coming?"
"Yippee!"
Of course she is.
I've already done what I can to organise the humans for the time being. They know where to go and were not to, they have access to water from a nearby spring and they'll need to sort themselves out food-wise to some extent. It isn't as if we have a heap of ant bakers churning out fine baguettes or anything.
The first order of business is to go into the Dungeon and check out the situation there, whilst power eating. I need more Biomass and Crinis needs to grow up as quickly as possible! I send a quick message to Enid letting her know that I'll be in the Dungeon for the next few days and to make sure her people and any newcomers stick to the rules I've lain down in my absence. I'm not worried about these humans overpowering the colony at all, they're mostly farmers and craftsmen, but I do want to avoid unnecessary casualties on both sides. We have bigger crocs to fry.
I break off the Mind Bridge to Enid and immediately my Sub-Brains relax into little balls of goop. It was damn hard maintaining it over that distance but I wanted to test my limits. Formo managed to weave one over a distance of kilometres without breaking a sweat but I'm still a mile away from that level. Even maintaining it over a distance of one kilometre was about all I could manage.
I also allow the Mind Magic construct to collapse at this time, further releasing the burden on my brains. Now that I succeeded once I'm sure I'll be able to reproduce it easier the next time.
Once my brains have had a rest I'll need to get to testing some more combat oriented transformation constructs. Probably the water one.
Into the Dungeon!
The gang advances down into the Dungeon at a rapid pace. Tiny is able to quickly slap to death any of the regular customers we see as we rapidly descend through the upper tunnels. We take a few detours here and there to make sure nothing is slipping past us as we travel, fleshing out my tunnel map a little more and pushing the skill to level 5.
Any time we encounter an evolved creature we get the little ones to stuff themselves with it to mount up that Biomass. There is one problem I have though.
[Crinis] I ask.
[Yes master] she responds quickly this time, perhaps sensing I wasn't going to tolerate silence on this one.
[Are you actually growing? You're the same size as you were when you were born] I point out.
[....]
It's true. She's still roughly the size of a tennis ball. Sometimes she appears a bit larger and certainly anytime she's eating she looks much bigger but when at rest, such as now, she reverts back to a handy tennis ball.
[Well?] I prod.
[.... I am growing master] she finally responds, sounding embarrassed.
[... and?]
She clearly doesn't want to be talking about this. [I can compress the extra mass master, due my nature as a shadow beast. I have been growing properly].
[So why do you choose to be such a small size all the time?] I ask, baffled.
Wouldn't it be more impressive to be larger? Display her strength to the world?
[.... I think it's easier like this] she suddenly gushes, [I fit on masters' back much more comfortably!]
Well... that is true I suppose.
[If you want to stay small you can stay small Crinis, whatever floats your boat] I say, [just let me know the second you're ready for combat, we need to power level you in a big way].
[Yes master! It won't be long now!]
[Oh? Good!]
The sooner she can turn into the blending tentacle orb of death she was before the better. She's seriously taking a lot longer to grow than Tiny did. Is it because she's a more complex creature? Or at least she was at the time of her reconstitution. I'm starting to see how that skill that increases the speed of pet growth might be desirable.
We continue our way down the tunnels. So far everything appears to be as normal, dumb plants, the occasional pig, various other little bits of nothing. Other than dashing about every now and again to train the skill I leave most of the fighting to Tiny. I need to let my brains rest before I start testing new magic constructions. I do manage to put my new mandibles to work however. The Savage mandibles have much more impressive cutting strength than the regular mandibles, the bites are nastier, wider and look like they'd be more difficult to heal as well. All in all I'm quite happy with this upgrade.
Time to go deeper.
-x-X-x-
We make much more rapid progress in our descent this time as opposed to the first. Tiny is much stronger after his second consecutive special evolution and he smashes his way with extreme speed and a strangely casual attitude through these small fry. I don't think I've even seen him throw a punch, he's just squashing monsters flat underneath his palms for the most part.
I really have no idea exactly what he gained in the evolution. Perhaps some new organs? Something related to his lightning? Maybe a boost to his sonic scream? I'm more tempted than ever to take the skill that allows me to look at a pets status, simply for convenience sake but I resist. Now that I have the core surgery skill I can take a look at his information using that, it's just a bit more difficult to do so. I have a lot of skill points saved up at the moment so the thought of casually spending one or two to make life a little easier is extremely tempting.
As Tiny keeps slapping his way through the upper layers we pause every now and again to let the little ones eat. I've told Crinis to exercise as much as possible to aid her digestion in order to allow for maximum food stuffage in the shortest period of time. What this means is that she is frantically waving tentacles all over the place whilst riding on my back. She can extend a lot more limbs a lot further than she could not that long ago so I'll take that as evidence that she is fact growing properly.
Whenever we take breaks I flip open the skills menu and flick through it, looking for anything new that has appeared or anything that might be useful. There are a few skills I hadn't seen before that I'm considering purchasing, especially these few:
[Water Magic affinity, Increases the users comfort, speed and efficacy when using mana of the water attribute]
[Fire Magic affinity, Increases the users comfort, speed and efficacy when using mana of the fire attribute]
[Earth Magic affinity, Increases the users comfort, speed and efficacy when using mana of the earth attribute]
[Wind Magic affinity, Increases the users comfort, speed and efficacy when using mana of the wind attribute]
The appearance of these skills seems to answer a few questions in my mind. It appears that once an intelligent creature has mastered the transformation skill to some extent then they will be able to choose an affinity to make it easier to advance onto the next step. I'm guessing that with higher levels of the Mana Transformation skill, or perhaps when the skill advances to the next rank then other, more advanced affinities will become unlocked.
It makes sense that these basic elements are the first to become available since of all the mana types these four have the most basic transformation constructs, meaning they are the most simple attributes of all.
After some consideration I eventually purchase the Water Magic Affinity. I know that the Croca-Beasts have a fire magic gland, despite being based on an aquatic creature. Even if water magic doesn't prove to be too effective offensively against them, I'm sure it'll be more than a little handy defensively.
That thought leads me in an interesting direction. Is it possible for a creature to have poor compatibility with certain elements? Or good affinity? A water based lifeform like a crocodile doesn't seem to have good synergy with fire magic on the surface... maybe I'm overthinking the whole Crocodile thing. Just because they dwell in water on my world doesn't necessarily mean that they do here, or that the Croca-Beasts are better in water than anything else in the Dungeon.
I decide to poke through a Garralosh Infant core the next time I get one. My skill level is much higher now than the last time I looked at one and I might be able to see something I couldn't before.
We continue for about an hour, stopping every now and again. Eventually we make our way down to the location of the short cut we had previously dug. Whilst Tiny smashes everything I continue to charge about like crazy, delighting the little ones, until the notification springs up in my mind.
[Dash has reached level 5. Skill advancement available]
Nice!
[Dash - > Rapid Dash. Like a flaming horse the user will be able to dash faster and with more precision]
I'll take it!
Even with this I still have ten skill points saved up... I'll leave it for now but I really ought to be spending these. Skill points in the bank do nothing to increase strength! I do need to a few points in reserve so I can advance key skills when they hit the cap but ten is really pushing it.
Once the local tunnel has been emptied out then we excavate the entrance and start clearing the shortcut of spawned monsters. By this time the Dungeon has extended its veins all the way to the top. Beasties and plants have spawned all over the place and started ripping into each other with gusto. It's all over very quickly once we arrive. I go into high gear just to help take care of things quickly and bite the heck out of everything I see. Once finished we pile up the more evolved species at the top of the shortcut and I spray food pheromones all over the place. This tasty meal should find itself in front of the Queen fairly shortly.
Next order of business! Brief rest!
....
Okay! Back at it. In order to ensure the Dungeon beneath the colony is safe we keep moving and mapping out the branching paths as much as possible. Every tunnel Tiny can fit in is explored to some extent, those that he can't I scurry into myself and snap everything I find to bits.
...
This is exhausting! On the plus side my Tunnel map is becoming more and more complete. This is something necessary for the defence of the colony.
After we spend another two hours clearing out the tunnels we reconvene once again back at the shortcut for another rest and feeding session. Tiny and I are getting very little Biomass from the food at this point. I scrounge together five points after stuffing myself, but at least I get the benefit of having my various nicks healed.
I spend the points straight away on upgrading my new supportive skeleton to +2 and my coordination cortex to +1. The most efficient play will be to upgrade these new body parts to +5 before resuming the journey to all +10. Technically I take a body part to +15 at this level of evolution....
I really need to get my eat on. I've evolved too quickly for my stomach to keep up!
I send Tiny up the shortcut with another shipment of food for the Queen. She'll get even less than I do out of these monsters but it's much better than feeding on the piddling surface creatures. The sooner we get that egg production system upgraded the better. The new generation must be as strong as possible.
I'll have to check in on her when I get back actually.... If she's storing Biomass to produce eggs without upgrading herself....
Let's just say I wouldn't be surprised.
When Tiny returns we settle in for a brief nap and then gather together into the main tunnel, sealing the shortcut closed behind us. It's time to delve a little deeper. We still have over a day of exploration time before we are expected back on the surface and I intend to be sure there aren't any threats coming from below before we return.
At this point I hear something echoing up the tunnel towards us. A faint wail, the fading sound of bone on bone.
Something is coming.