Almost as if the air were rushing towards us I can feel a wave pressure roll up the tunnel and press against my face.
It... isn't comfortable.
["Something is coming up. Get ready to fight"] I warn my crew.
Vibrant and Crinis huddle carefully on my person. Tiny stands to his full height, his head brushing the roof. He can also sense something is coming. His silver fur starts to rise off his frame as electrical sparks begin to shimmer and zap across his frame.
Ohhhh he's pumped up! I'm also keen to see what he can do now that he's evolved. That massive frame isn't for nothing, I'm sure I'll see something interesting when he goes at it. Now that I think of it I should also start making some preparations.
My two sub brains are well rested now and ready for action. It's time to put them to work. Wanting to test their strength I task each of them with a separate spell, one Gravity Bolt each. Best to begin with the basics and work their way up.
As the pressure continues to build and roll against us like waves from the tunnel before us I sense internally as my two little helpers get busy shaping the spells. Independently they draw on the gravitational mana stored in my gland and begin to shape the spells.
Gweheheheheh.
Excellent!
Chuckling to myself with glee I then begin to shape a third spell with my main mind. Not double the spells, TRIPLE the spells! This is the true, awesome power of my Divergent Mind! The sub brains are not as quick nor as capable as I was in my last evolution. They lack the force of will to shift the mana as rapidly and the cunning to weave the shapes as deftly, but even if it takes them twice as long, being able to independently cast their own spells makes these sub brains so damn useful!
Now to unleash the fearsome might, the unparalleled force and the extraordinary dexterity of my newly upgraded main brain!
After all, most of the extra juice I pumped into my mental faculties was spent on this, in terms of will or cunning I'm nothing like I was before! Behold!
With force and precision I draw on the gravitational mana to rapidly weave it into a Gravity Spear, the long body of the spell with its surrounding intricate engraved circles take shape at record pace. Incredible!
My ability to use magic in combat situations has absolutely shot through the roof! I'm more than satisfied! With my next evolution I may spend a little of my budget neatening up the edges but I don't think I need much more juice in the mental department. I'll be ramping up my physical stats until the same size as Tiny!
Once the spells are formed I hold each of them ready, one mind for each, and prepare myself to face whatever is coming up the tunnel.
Tiny is so excited he's practically fidgeting. Calm down, oi!
Gradually the sounds from the tunnel build in volume. From a whisper to a murmur and then rising into a crescendo of sound. Roars, screams and the pounding of feet fill the air, rattling my nerves. I STILL can't see anything coming?! Where the heck are they?!
This sounds like a freaking stampede of monsters!
Just when I'm starting to reconsider our frontal approach the edges of the horde come into view. My first impression is a wave of teeth rushing towards us at full speed. The second and third impressions are much the same.
What the heck is this?!
Dozens of monsters, hundreds even, are charging towards us with mouths gaping and claws rending the air! What's going on?! They aren't fighting each other at all.. This is weird! Gandalf? Any advice?!
....
Dammit you beardy faced pile of senility!
[Tiny! This is going to get rough! Go all out!]
Why the hell didn't I get a Gravity Bomb ready?!
I see all sorts of monsters mixed into the onrushing horde. Shadowy monsters, Imps, pigs and even some of the mobile plant types are in the mix! I just can't understand why they are all cooperating...
And the formless pressure is still building, pressing down on us like an unseen hand.
No time to hesitate, let's do this!
Experience the power of my ant soul!
Gravity Spear! Gravity Bolt! Gravity Bolt!
All three spells are launched simultaneously, streaking through the air like glittering purple arrows. The monsters have no capacity to dodge, as packed together as they are. The leading shadow beast is speared directly through the chest and the creatures around him are instantly wrapped within the expanding circles as the spell activates.
The second the pull is applied over ten monsters are dragged towards the target. Not expecting the sudden force they are thrown off their feet and stumble, only to be smashed into the ground by the pounding feet of the creatures behind them. Some other monsters trip and fall, only to meet the same fate as the others under the heels/claws of their brethren.
[You have slain...
[You have slain ...
No time for that!
The two Gravity Bolts smack into another two monsters and drag them down to the ground. These are also quickly crushed. With five or six monsters dead the size of the coming monster wave hasn't even diminished!
Going to need to bring out the big guns!
I spin up the backup singers and task them with preparing the much more complex Gravity Domain. With the two of them working in tandem they should be able to handle it! I don't want to chip in with the main mind right now, I need my wits about me!
Tiny is getting increasingly riled up, the electricity is crackling all over his frame by now, stinging the air around with frequent flashes of light. In the face on the onrushing monsters he doesn't flinch but rather smashes his chest with his mighty fists and roars! His powerful bellows and shrieks are so loud they even rise above the cacophony of the beasts coming at us!
He doesn't stop there! Having issued his challenge the ape begins to charge forward, smashing the tunnel floor with his knuckles as he picks up speed! He's not content to wait at all, he's going to take the fight to the enemy!
Dammit Tiny!
["We're going in with him! Hold on!"]
Dash!
I spring forward with Tiny, hurtling ourselves to the onrushing horde. As I get closer the thousands of teeth and claws grow larger in my sight until there is nothing else I can see. This is madness! What is happening here is sheer madness!
How's that domain coming?!
Still not ready?!
CRASH!
Like a cannonball Tiny smashes into the front ranks of the wave, fists flying. Monsters are catapulted into the air and smash into the walls as he continues to propel himself forward, bellowing his challenge as he goes.
The enemies are endless! As Tiny moves forward he is quickly surrounded, the monsters latch onto him with claws, mouths tentacles and whatever else they have available, lashing the ape again and again.
Oh no you don't!
SHATTERING BITE!
CRUNCH!
Pouring out my stamina into the bite I manifest jaws of light over two metres long and rip them closed. The Savage Mandibles display their ferocity, tearing my enemies apart and crushing them in the same breath.
The horde of monsters is endless. Is this the true Wave? I feel like I'm battling the tide!
SHATTERING BITE! SHATTERING BITE! SHATTERING BITE! SHATTERING BITE!
I lash out at the monsters closing in around us but as quickly as I crush them they are instantly replaced by more. Tiny doesn't seem to care, he keeps pushing deeper, sending waves of monsters flying with every lashing of his fists. The electricity on him is still building! It's started flashing out and lighting up the monsters around him like Christmas trees but it doesn't feel like it's going to stop there!
-x-X-x-
Electricity rippling across his body endlessly, Tiny's fists continue to flash out and devastate his opponents. None can stand up to his blows. That doesn't shock me much. We're talking about a ten foot tall Gorilla monster here. If I'd seen a Gorilla on Earth that was ten feet tall I'd have fair browned my downstairs department. Physical strength is something he has in spades.
What is really impressive is the lightning strikes flashing from his body without him having to think about it, blasting creatures around him who draw too close. Problem is they have no choice but to get too close since they are a mindless mass of monsters that pushes forward no matter what.
We are still taking damage he and I. As fast as we can destroy the enemies they are replaced just as quickly. It only took a few seconds of following Tiny's charge for the two of us to be completely surrounded, buried amongst the monsters. They lash at us from all sides, battering me with their limbs, trying to bite through my tough carapace and raising sparks between their teeth and my shell. I'm losing Hp here!
Thankfully my defence is holding up pretty well but Tiny is suffering more, he doesn't have a nice handy outer skeleton and his fur is only a little protection. I feel as if his physical stats are inordinately slanted towards Might as opposed to Toughness. As the claws and teeth of our foes rain down on him he is continuously taking damage.
Not that he slows down any...
Is that Domain ready yet?!
My two sub brains have been frantically working together to weave the far more complex spell as quickly as they can but it's still not done. Unwilling to wait any longer I focus with my main mind and ignore the rain of blows that fall on me the moment I grow still. With every ounce of my mental strength applied to the task the spell takes form rapidly, layer after layer of complexity added to the construct until it's finally complete.
Not hesitating in the slightest I open the sluice gates and pour in the Gravitational mana like it's going out of fashion. Get! This! Spell! Done!
There!
The instant it's ready I unleash the domain and the glittering purple dome of energy rapidly expands outwards, encompassing the entire width of the tunnel it expands ten metres out in all directions.
THROOM!
With an audible noise the massive Gravitation pull kicks in and the monsters around me are immediately effected.
[Tiny!] I shout.
The ape instantly realises what has happened and turns back towards me. These monsters are made of sterner stuff and won't collapse to the ground just because of the Domain but their ability to move and contest us has easily halved. The shadow beasts are probably holding up better than the rest, their strange elastic flesh is far stronger than it appears.
But now we can manage.
"KIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!"
Tiny opens his mouth wide an unleashes his ultimate bat scream, the ultrasonic wave! The ear shattering sound is even stronger than before, piercing straight through my ear holes and stabbing into my brain.
That stings!
I manage to resist the stunning effect of the scream thanks to my over tuned Will but most of the monsters around us aren't so lucky. Those caught inside the Domain have it the worst, hit by double debilitating effects but those on the outside don't look so flash either.
[Get em!]
The two of us immediately start flailing about madly, Tiny with his fists and me with my jaws. I use shattering bite over and over again until my face aches and exhaustion creeps in whilst Tiny lashes out with his fists endlessly. Even now the monsters keep coming! They are walking straight into the Domain but they don't seem to care. What is driving these creatures?!
[Tiny, retreat and eat something, restore your strength!]
The limiting factor here is our stamina, I might have taken less damage than Tiny but his robust physique will provide him a lot more energy. After constantly using my advanced physical skills I'm beginning to run out of gas.
My two sub brains are currently tasked with maintaining the Domain, a constant flood of Gravitational Mana flows out of my gland and into the construct powering the spell. Thanks to the bottomless upgrade I don't need to worry about running out of mana in the short term. My feet are sucking up energy from the floor every passing second but the rate of transfer into Gravity mana is still painfully slow.
Tiny shakes his head at me but ultimately can't refuse my order. He throws himself behind me and starts stuffing his face with the plentiful Biomass littered across the Tunnel floor. The food will help accelerate the healing of his wounds and give a little extra fuel in the stamina fire.
[Crinis! Go with him this is going to get dangerous!] I yell as I flick the little ball of dark rubber at Tiny as he runs past.
With all of these attacks raining down on me I don't want the little one to get squashed by accident. She's still not grown and combat ready after all. Vibrant at least is a proper monster, with a carapace to protect her from any glancing blows .
With Tiny gone the monsters descend on me like locusts. I can't even tell how many there are or if we are whittling down their numbers even slightly. My impressive, nearly 360 degree vision is giving me a wonderful 360 degree view of monsters mouths trying to attach themselves to my person!
I continue to absorb the battering, laying out with my mandibles at every opportunity. In an effort to avoid complete exhaustion I stopped using my skills and instead started channelling mana into my mandibles to add a bit more punch to my bite.
Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
The horrific sounds of my jaws at work mixed with the howls and savage cries of the beasts. I felt like I held on for hours but it was probably only a minute before I heard Tiny's furious voice ringing in my mind.
[FIGHT!]
Sounds like he's had enough eating! I turn and bolt towards his location at the rear of the fight as he charges forward into the fray once more! I try and stay close behind him as I start stuffing my face with Biomass and activate my healing gland to recover from the battering I'd just received.
I hope Tiny can hold on for a while, I'm knackered. This is the weakness of my body right now, mental power for days but not enough combat effectiveness to take from it yet. I need to start practicing the water transformation construct as soon as possible!
Tiny re-joins the fight with relish and pounds his opponents into the dirt with rising glee. The electricity on his body is still crackling away, blasting the occasional monster into a deep fried version of itself. Does he ever run out of electricity?
Apparently not! With a mighty bellow Tiny raises both his hands over his head, bringing them together for a slam. Once his fists rise into the air all the electrical energy crackling over his body floods up his arms and concentrates on his fists, causing them to shine so brightly I wish I had eyelids.
As the electrical energy intensifies I can hear a static whine rising in pitch ever moment until it rises above the register I can hear. I can still feel it though, causing the hairs on my antennae to shake violently.
The monsters around him don't seem to know what is coming as they continue to charge forward, leaping at Tiny, desperate to take a bite out of him.
Then those fists come down and the tunnel is filled with lightning.
The entire tunnel shakes when those fists impact the ground, knocking most monsters off their feet, but it isn't over. The electricity contained in the strike erupts explosively, rolling outwards from the point of impact in a forward arc. Crackling over the floor it slides over the ground like a wave and every monster it touches gets thoroughly cooked. Dozens of monsters fall to the ground as the tide of lightning rolls through their ranks, decimating the foes in a blinding flash.
That. Is. Hot. To. Death!
Tiny you the ape!
-x-X-x-
I hadn't even finished celebrating Tiny's spectacular lightning wave technique (named it myself) before my joy is quenched by more monsters rushing up the as the ones in front of them collapsed from being overcooked.
Dammit!
How many of these damn things are there going to be?!
I hurriedly make use of the room Tiny has bought us by stuffing my face as full of Biomass as quickly as I can. Every bit counts! I also snap up my status for a moment to check on any skill changes. Every edge I can get in this critical fight!
Hmmm.
I've gained a level of Shattering Bite and two levels in Advanced Exo-Skeleton defence. Letting myself get battered by a horde of trash seems like a good way to train that skill, if painful. It looks like I'm going to get battered to hell all over again in a minute, the next wave of shadow beasts will be on us in a few seconds!
Seems I also managed to gain two levels from the conflict as well. Not too helpful at the present moment but nice to know!
[Master!]
[Crinis! What's up?!]
[I'm ready!]
....
Those monsters are closing in quick! I don't have time for a chat!
[Ready for what?!]
[To fight!]
[Fight what?!]
I really need her to get to the point here.
[... I've finished my growth phase] she slows down to explain to me clearly [If you point me at the enemy I can fight them]
Oh.... Ohhhhhh! AWWWWW!!
[Quick grab on!]
I shift an antennae over in her direction and the little tennis ball sized glob of dark rubber reaches up and latches on. She's still the same size as she was before..
[Are you sure?!] I ask.
[Positive, Master]
[Ok then.. Here you go!]
I flick her into the air directly towards the onrushing beasts. Tiny watches as she sails over his head, tracing a graceful arc through the air. As she travels something remarkable happens. She starts to grow. From a little tennis ball she expands, by the time she reaches the apex of her arc she's inflated to basketball size and as she descends she continues to become larger. Just before she vanishes into the crowd of monsters the central sphere of her body unfolds and dozens of powerful, barbed tentacles appear surrounding a horrific, open maw.
'Dis gon be good!
Almost giddy with anticipation I skitter up the wall to get a better view of the action.
Just in time too!
Once that inflated ball vanished from sight, sunk into the middle of the onrushing horde, a few seconds passed and then.... Chaos!
Tentacles began flailing wildly as Crinis unleashes the true power of the JellyMaw! Mowing down monsters like a scythe or gripping them, lifting them into the air and crushing them before they are tossed into that endless mouth.
Monster after monster vanishes into Crinis' gullet and she doesn't seem to change size at all! Whatever dimension they are travelling to I hope their end is a peaceful one! The monsters do their best to fight back, slashing at her tentacles of dashing forward to bite at her. I'm sure their doing damage but I can't see it.
At the rate she's eating them she might just be healing it right back up anyway!
Between myself and the shredding, Tiny stands quite still, squishing to death any monster that gets close enough or tries to slip past him. I think he might be enjoying the show just as much as I am!
[How is it going Crinis!? Do you need help?] I enquire.
[No need Master, you don't need to sully your mandibles with this trash]
....
That's a bit harsh on them isn't it?
Releasing my Domain spell I start weaving a few Gravity bolts and fling them into the fight whenever they're ready. Trying to do a little bit to ease the burden on my youngest pet but it doesn't seem like she needs it...
When it comes to cutting down weaker creatures like chaff she is surely the most suitable out of herself and Tiny. The big ape is more specialised as a big hitter, though his new area lightning strike certainly helps him out in this department.
This is why I chose to make Crinis my second pet, she counterbalances Tiny extremely well!
Watching her shred through the endless waves of monsters is almost enough to bring a tear of pride to my eye. If she seems deadly now, just wait until she evolves!
Her main disadvantage of not being able to see is totally irrelevant to her at the moment. No matter what direction she extends a limb there is going to be an enemy there! Like a relentless machine those tentacles reach out, snatch up a monster and crush it before snapping out to seize another victim.
It's endless!
In the end I just leave the casting of the Gravity Bolts to my sub brains and chill out on the wall. It's kind of nice to be so unneeded.
[Ah... Crinis can you not eat so many, we could send some of that up to the Queen]
[Oh! Sorry Master! I.. I'll control myself]
[Thanks]
....
She really is a hungry thing isn't she?
Eventually Tiny gets bored and wades back into the fight, making sure to remain a minimum distance away from his fellow pet. He throws and slams monsters to his heart's content whilst I just continue to watch.
So peaceful here in the Dungeon....
After another twenty minutes of monster splatting there finally seems to be none left and we are able to spend some time picking through the battlefield. Looking at the heaped piles of monster remains I try and estimate just how many there were in this ravenous swarm. The Biomass is piled high even though Crinis probably ate almost a hundred monsters on her own. Just where is her stomach?!
When I finally come up with a number I feel a chill rush through my carapace. There must have been almost a thousand of them! If Tiny and I hadn't evolved... if Crinis hadn't suddenly been able to fight...
What would have happened to us if we tried to face down that many monsters?!
It's chilling to think about. I have so many questions now as a result of this... Why has this happened now? The Queen certainly never mentioned this sort of phenomenon, though it does seem reminiscent of what Enid told me happened back in Liria.
Are these monsters being controlled or threatened? Are they being chased out of their territory and sent up the Dungeon?!
I'll have to answer these questions another time. First we all eat until we are full, not that Crinis had any more space... I manage to gain eight Biomass, then I pick over the battlefield to find any monster cores using my mana sense whilst Tiny piles up a feed for the Queen over at the hidden entrance to our shortcut.
I manage to find twenty cores amongst the wreckage which I give to Crinis who promptly sticks them into the multi-dimensional folds of her person and then shrinks herself back down to a tennis ball which I place on my back.
....
HEAVY!
SO DAMN HEAVY!
She might be able to hide all that Biomass but she still carries the weight!
[Is everything alright Master] says the innocent little murder blob on my back.
My legs are shaking!
[I'm ok!] I wheeze.
"Crinis was so awesome!" cheers Vibrant, rushing over to her mini friend and rolling her about with her antennae.
["Look. Let's take this food up to the surface and then do a check of the nearby tunnels. I want to make sure no monsters made it past us and up to the Queens chamber"]
["Ok!"]
-x-X-x-
After delivering the Biomass to the surface and marking it with pheromones so the colony will pick it up we return back down to the entrance, making sure to conceal it once again. I feel good knowing that all of this Biomass is going to bring the Queen closer to upgrading all of her egg production organs and laying the first generation of the new workers!
For that happy occasion to come to pass we need to work hard! Get to it Anthony! Protect the colony! Kill the invaders!
Once we get back down we backtrack up the tunnel check out the branching paths off this main tunnel. After two hours of meticulous searching we come up with nothing... no tracks, no monsters no nothing.
It seems like that deadly 'wave' of monsters only came up the tunnel we were in... it seems like too much of a coincidence to write off as luck. There must be something about this tunnel in particular...
After resting briefly (I get Crinis to hop off briefly so I can stretch my legs) I decide that we will venture further down and explore this tunnel a little deeper. We aren't that far down here, if there is any serious action happening it's surely going to be deeper than this.
The four of us gird ourselves and begin to venture deeper into the Dungeon.
As we descend I can really feel the difference in the mana. It's certainly more dense than it was when we fled the Dungeon at the start of the wave, no doubt about it. I think the wave has clearly moved into a new phase as stronger monsters with longer gestation periods are forming in the walls now. On the one hand it means they aren't popping out every few minutes but on the other it means a stronger fight when they are finally formed.
All in all its slightly better than it was before but not by much.
Still, this change leads me to conclude that something weird is going on in the Dungeon, and I don't like it. The monsters become tougher as we descend, even if they aren't necessarily a higher tier of creature. Something I've noticed during my time is that even creatures of the same species are often found lower down if they are a higher level. Perhaps it's a natural instinct of monsters to move lower the stronger they get?
Certainly I have a good reason to be inside the Dungeon, with my core draining until I die if I don't have access to the sweet, sweet mana.
Whilst we travel I start practicing the formation of the water mana transformation construct. It's far simpler that the Mind Magic one so it doesn't take long for me to start making progress. I wonder if this is how human mages train, by repeatedly forming these constructs they get good enough to form them at high speeds so they can cast spells?
It makes sense I suppose. I'm cheating in many ways, since rather than improve my mind through exercises and repeated practice I simply upgraded my brain during the evolution process...
Ha! This is the advantage of monster kind! This is my consolation for having to eat guts and bones all the time without any seasoning!
I let Tiny resume his monster slapping role as we explore, filling in my Tunnel map and tracing the side tunnels a ways when they appear. I wonder if there is an expanse down here somewhere? From what I've been told of the Dungeon they appear fairly regularly at various depths. The forest expanse was only unusual for how close it was to the surface. The various expanse are almost like the organs of the Dungeon, the vital ecosystems that keep it running. The connecting Tunnels are like the veins, allowing monsters and mana to flow between them. At least that's how the Queen phrased it.
It isn't really a question of is there an expanse down here somewhere but where it is. It may be straight down or off to one side of us. No matter what, all main tunnels will eventually connect to an expanse, so as long as we trace them out we are going to find one.
About twenty minutes later I finally succeed in forming my first water mana transformation construct!
Whoo!
So much easier than the mind magic one... My upgraded brain has already succeeded! Perhaps this is the effect of the affinity skill as well?!
I can't wait to try out some spells!
Eagerly I start feeding some raw mana into the construct and it begins to perform it's intricate dance, working its special alchemy on the raw mana from my core until it finally emerges from the other end as shimmering blue water mana!
So exciting!
I leave on sub brain in charge of holding the construct in place and task the other with feeding a constant stream of raw mana from my core into it whilst I take the mana and begin testing some of the known shapes to see what works.
First.. The bolt!
Following much the same principles as the gravity bolt I begin to use the mana to weave the familiar shape until a shimmering blue bolt is formed within my mind. Nice! Let's test this sucka!
Fire!
Fwoosh!
Filled with blue mana a dense ball of water is formed that blasts forwards and impacts against a nearby rock formation where it explodes! Water flies everywhere and the stone partially crumbles under the impact of the pressurised water ball.
Holy heck!
So nice!
Let's try the spear!
I gather together a new mana thread and start trying to form the spear shape but the spell doesn't seem to want to come together. The more I try and force it the more it pushes back until the whole things snaps and comes apart.
....
Wha?!
Why the heck did that fail!?
I try again, a bit irritated this time but the same thing happens. I get to a point where the spell simply won't come together and if I try to force it then it just breaks and dissolves to nothing.
GAH!
Let's put the spear aside for a moment and try something else.
I could try the Domain spell I guess... but I don't want to use that much mana and exhaust my mind so randomly... what other shapes are there? I haven't looked at the others since I haven't really used them in so long.
..... Hmm...
I flick through a few different spells in my mind before settling on one. This'll do!
The shape I've chosen is similar to the spear but more open ended, kind of like a cylinder within a cylinder and both are engraved with elaborate patterns and signs. Not the worst thing I've ever seen let's give it a go!
With my powerful main mind on the job I work patiently through the process of forming the construct and ten minutes later it's finally complete! I may have had to remake a few parts but for my first go that isn't too bad!
Let's power it up and see what it does!
Fire!
FOOM!
A solid jet of water appears from above my head and blasts forward as if shot from a fire hose! Holy Moly! The potent stream of water sends spray fountaining everywhere as it smashes into the wall of the tunnel!
Ah, It's still drawing on my mana! Turn it off! Turn it off!
So, a water cannon?
Tiny is looking at me, irritated, dripping wet from the spray.
... Sorry about that buddy!
I wonder which other shapes will work. There are a few I still haven't tried, even with gravitational mana. Since my raw mana is being replenished quite rapidly through my feet I may as well try and experiment.
I think of the various shapes that have been implanted in my head when learning my magic related skills and find one to my liking. This one is sort of a curved arc with a cloud-like base. I don't know why but I feel like it will be impressive.
It's a bit more difficult than the last one so I take my time to carefully construct it as Tiny slaps to death the various monsters we come across. Eventually its ready and I start powering it. The moment I do, I realise that this one is going to need quite a lot of juice before I can cast it.
[Tiny? Come and stand behind me]
The giant ape stop and immediately moves behind me, carefully positioning his lumbering form to avoid possible splashback.
Still thinking about that eh?
Being careful I continue to feed the water attribute mana into the spell as it comes out of my transformation construct, drawing the reserves in my core lower and lower. Just how much is this spell going to take?!
Aha! Ready at last!
Eagerly I activate the spell and then stumble a little as the potent magic activates.
With a colossal BOOM water EXPLODES out of the ground in front of me with a deafening roar and thunders down the tunnel in a mighty tidal wave!
Stone pillars shatter and get washed away by the sheer kinetic force of the wave as it froths and foams forwards, eventually following the tunnel around a bend and out of sight.
...
Then we hear a chorus of angry roars echoing back up the chamber towards us.
... Whoops?
-x-X-x-
Looks like we might have hit something by mistake?
Although, considering everything down that tunnel is sure to be hostile, I'm not sure I would call it a mistake?
I wonder what I even hit with that wave...
The mystery is soon solved when a gang of angry and damp looking Croca-Beasts come swaggering around the corner looking for trouble.
So it's you guys!
Are you the culprits chasing all the other monsters up the tunnel towards the surface just like Enid said you damn thugs! Acting all tough now that your momma is in town, how sad is that?!
You stupid Croc Bipeds might have been scary and threatening when I was a hatchling but you're small fry now!
And it's true. The Croca-Beasts that once upon a time loomed over me like giant croc faced messengers of death don't seem nearly so large anymore. Whilst I'm not quite tall enough to look them in the eye I probably have a similar overall mass to them since I'm much longer than I am tall.
Their sharp claws and powerful, snapping jaws are not nearly as impressive as once they were. My own Savage Infused Mandibles look far more deadly to be honest. These guys just don't hold any fear for me anymore!
"ROOOAAAAAAAAAOOOOO" Tiny bellows.
Well sure, he's even less scared of them. Without waiting for my orders Tiny lumbers forward and starts smashing Croc face in with his massive fists. It's almost sad. He towers over the little crocs and his fist is probably the same size as their entire head. With every swing he one shots a Croca and it isn't long before the posse of toothy monsters has been smashed into paste.
[Good job Tiny! Show 'em who's boss!]
The big ape slaps his chest and a wide grin appears on his bat face. This takes me back to when I first saw Tiny, battling against his rival, a massive Titan-Croc. I get the feeling even after being reconstituted that he still has a special hatred for the Croc monsters, at the very least he seems inordinately pleased to have punched this particular groups' faces in.
Since they are unevolved monsters we don't even pause to eat them before preceding down the still soggy tunnel. As I climb over the fallen Crocs I begin to sense something strange tickling at the edge of my awareness. Like a sound that I can't quite hear.
[Do you hear anything Tiny?] I ask.
The ape tips his head to one side and listens for a moment before frowning and slowly nodding his head. So there is something....
["Be on guard everyone"] I advise before we continue to advance.
With every step the fain feeling at the back of my mind grows more distinct. The pace of it increase is so slow that I wouldn't have noticed at all if I wasn't watching for it. As it grows the sensation becomes more oppressive, threatening even. As we continue to travel I feel as if I'm being watched by a ravenous beast.
HOGAAA!
Feel weird!
I can tell Tiny feels it as well, he's been restless and smacking monsters with even more force than usual.
["Crinis, Vibrant, are you picking up on this feeling?"]
"Yup-yup" the usually energetic Vibrant seems a little subdued under this pressure.
[I can, master] Crinis too is feeling the pressure.
Whatever is causing this, we need to be careful.
["We need to proceed with extra caution team"] I inform my crew, ["it's possible something really nasty is nearby that we can't necessarily defeat. I want everyone, including you Tiny, to be prepared to run away if get into trouble. We'll flee back to the shortcut and make our escape from there"].
It goes to show how this mounting creepy feeling is weighing on us that even Tiny seems inclined to agree, just to be sure I order him directly.
[Tiny, if I tell you to run, you will flee to the shortcut entrance. Got it?]
He reluctantly nods, his bat face pinched with a combination of distaste and unease. He doesn't have to like it he just has to do it. No way I'm going to allow him to die charging headlong into some unwinnable fight. When we get right down to it he cannot deny a direct order from me so I'm satisfied he'll be ok.
The others are still riding on my back so they'll probably end up where I do. I have to be careful not to leave Crinis behind, she has a very limited capacity to navigate her way around after all. Perhaps I should advise her to take tunnel sense and Tunnel map? That'll give her a solid idea where to go without having to see after all...
We continue to advance downwards, the monsters growing tougher with every step. More shadow monsters and the larger, more difficult beast types are becoming common. We even run into a few nasty plant types that are clearly evolved versions of the others we've seen and some others who are from a superior base species.
A particularly nasty plant appears as a young tree, the first tree looking plant monster I've seen. It attacks by swinging it's branches but also seems capable of using earth magic. I didn't get a good look before Tiny crunched it to nothing with a two handed slam. Still, it seems as if the plant type monsters are still spawning in this part of the Dungeon.
Something odd seems to be going on with the monsters we come across though. For starters there are far less of them. Ever since that formless pressure begun to weigh on us the number of monsters we've seen active in the tunnels has gone way down. Secondly we notice that there are quite a few monsters moving away from us and down the tunnels. Every now and again we catch glimpses of newly spawned creatures shifting along the walls and vanishing down the tunnels.
Where are they going? Is there some sort of party that we aren't invited to? I'd love to chase after these shadows but with the invisible weight pressing down on me I simply don't have the confidence to be rushing around corners blindly. For the first time in a while I'm starting to feel real, actual fear.
If this is a monster causing this pressure, when I can't even see it... just how powerful would that creature need to be?! Is it Garrolosh itself?! I thought that Croc was meant to be over in Liria! That's like a week away over the surface... what would it be doing here?
To be honest, if I actually thought that the parent of all these croc monsters was kicking around down here I'd rush straight back up to the surface immediately. I don't see any reason for Garralosh to be around here so I'm prepared to proceed, but cautiously.
So we do, creeping forward very slowly. The tunnel continues to wind its way deeper into the ground, as we proceed the tunnel grows wider and I notice that other branching tunnels are coming together here. It feels as if we are getting close to something. We make better progress than I expected considering our careful pace due to the lack of monsters in our path. It's almost unnerving to see the tunnels this deserted during the wave.
I know the monsters are still being formed in the walls, I can sense them. They are just rushing off somewhere the moment they come out.
Eventually, I estimate about ten kilometres down according to Tunnel map, the passage opens up and a strange light illuminates the rocks ahead of us. Is it an expanse?!
The pressure is crushing now, as if death waits for us after every step. Vibrant is extremely nervous, clinging fiercely to my head and shivering in place. As we step forward the tunnel walls slowly drop away and a vast, open underground space appears before us. Dark swampland stretches as far as my eyes can see, mist covered marshes studded with drooping trees and vibrant, vine shrouded flowers.
And crocs. So many crocs.
-x-X-x-
Are there gods in Pangera? Scholarship in this area has been largely suppressed since the Church of the Path rose to predominance, their inquisitors have been most active in their pursuit of those willing to explore this scholastic line of inquiry. Despite their efforts though the centuries there has been a small but industrious cadre of truth-seekers who are keen to bring the light of wisdom to our own history.
Records do indeed suggest that there were numerous religions in the time before the Descent, when the system changed our very understanding of the world. In many lands and across many races there was a wide variety of ways in which people practiced faith based organisations. Whether those divinities were real or imagined is hard to determine now since only a smattering of writings from that time remain and no doubt these religious organisations where shattered during the Cataclysm and then purged by the surging Church of the Path.
There have been curious reports from those who have pressed deep into the World Below that they have at times felt the presence of an otherworldly spirit, a powerful feeling of reverence. Other writings which the church attempted to suppress have been unearthed detailing the experiences of those who claim to have actually met divine beings within the Dungeon, come face to face with them, even spoken to them.
Whether such tales can be taken seriously or not is difficult to say, at depths such as these where the mana saturation is at suffocating levels the mind has been known to play tricks. It can also be speculated that such creatures may well have been highly intelligent and powerful monsters. Though some would argue there is little difference between a supremely powerful monster and a god, that way lies the true heresy. Those mortals who fell into the worship of the beasts who ravaged this world during the Rending were exorcised from society at its conclusion and their monster worship most likely ended with them.
"The banned writings of Jivani the faithless" from the secret library of the Path
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Throughout the marshes and on the humps of land that rise up out of the murky waters there are Croca-Beasts at various stages of evolution almost everywhere, including a number of varieties I haven't seen before. Some of them are freakin' massive, hulking brutes of creatures that look like they seriously mean business.
What really hits me, the most intimidating thing, is that the invisible pressure I've been feeling has sky rocketed the moment we laid eyes on this expanse. Holy moly! I feel like something has a knife at my neck, except that I don't have a neck! I can't see anything that might be the cause of this feeling, but I'm sure. Somewhere in this expanse there is a truly frightening monster.
I can see other tunnel entrances to this expanse nearby and periodically a monster will emerge and head immediately deeper into the expanse. The Crocs don't attack them, curiously the plants don't seem to either. It's as if this entire ecosystem of monsters is being suppressed by something, not obeying their own monstrous instincts to hunt and fight in the endless pursuit of prey. It can only be whatever is creating this oppressive aura. I personally don't feel any desire to rush into the expanse and high five the beast creating this pressure, quite the opposite, but clearly it's having some effect on the other monsters here.
Perhaps this is the source of the wave of monsters we battled in the tunnels? Are the monsters being gathered here and then sent out in huge packs to brutalise the surface and other creatures? For what purpose? For what design? Purely for destruction's sake or for something more?
I mean, if I were a giant Crocodile monster, centuries old and filled with an endless hunger to produce tiny crocs... what would I do?
....
I mean.... Eat?
Come on Anthony! You can do better than this! Think! Think like a Croc!
.....
Grrrr... GRAHHH!
.....
How am I supposed to know what a stupid Croc thinks like?! I never had pet reptiles dammit! Let's just go with the mindless massacre scenario, they are sending out waves of murderous monsters in order to kill stuff because Garralosh is mad at the world or something.
There.
The real question is what are we going to do about it? We've found a huge, juicy expanse here, placed relatively nicely for the colony to exploit. If I can connect up the shortcut to this area then it'll be a relatively short trip for the workers to take advantage of the resources here. Only problem being that some huge murderous beast is sitting in there somewhere creating this aura of death. I really don't want to charge headlong into this place.
So we compromise! We still have a day before we are expected back on the surface, there is plenty that we can do in the meantime without rushing headlong to our deaths. If there is something that Tiny is reluctant to fight then I'm all about avoiding that thing.
I'd like to get a visual of it so that I know what I'm dealing with but I feel like getting that close is going to take some effort.
Let the work begin!
We happily back out of the expanse and busily get to work constructing a new shortcut that will connect to our already existing sneaky tunnel. What better way to relax the mind that has become tense under formless pressure than by indulging in the fantastic world of ant zen? Digging is truth! Truth is digging!
We make incredibly quick progress, even though we need to make the tunnel larger due to Tiny's massive size. The reason is all thanks to Crinis! Now that she's fully grown she's more than capable of helping. Where she excels isn't really in the digging of the dirt but in shoving the loose soil down the tunnel and out the entrance. By unleashing the power of her tentacles she can shift huge amounts of dirt at a time and since the tunnel is so easy to navigate she can't get lost moving back and forth. This allows me so much more time to get my face hands into the dirt that we are flying through it!
It's so nice when the team comes together!
Every now and again we take a break and try to lure creatures out of the expanse and into the tunnels to fight us. Every time a group of Crocs walk past I get Tiny to throw a rock at them. Trusty pebble! You worked hard for me in Yarnham, and you perform your function here as well!
When the Croca-beasts notice they are being pelted with stones from a tunnel they predictably get mad and charge into the tunnel angrily whereupon we descend on them with furious vengeance and snuff them out before engaging in vigorous snacking. It only takes a few times doing this before the wandering groups of Crocs aren't coming past our tunnel anymore and we have to start creeping a little further into the expanse to find monsters to lure.
-x-X-x-
I leave my pets and Vibrant working on the shortcut tunnel and slowly encroach on the marsh expanse solo. It isn't that I don't think they could fight whatever it is that we find in here it's just that I don't want to attract unwanted attention at this point. So I do something I haven't had to do for a while.
I engage stealth ant mode.
Luckily I'm still relatively small for a monster so remaining unseen is still fairly simple, the plant growth is thick here, reeds and hillocks blocking line of sight in every direction. Slowly and cautiously I creep about, all of my sensing apparatus tuned to their most fine state, twitching at every shift of each tuft of grass.
I'm tense!
Super tense!
With this stupid pressure hanging over my head and flying solo for the first time in a while I'm really feeling the heat. It's also unnerving to be moving through this swampy terrain where there could be monsters under the water or indeed, every plant could also be a monster! Luckily I have my heat detection for the latter, the plant monsters register much higher on that sense due to their peculiar biology than normal plant life, thus I manage to avoid most combat as I navigate around the edges of the terrain.
I try not to stand on the top of the mounds that poke out of the waters lest I present my silhouette to prying eyes, I don't particularly want to have this magnificent form lighting up the eyes of every croc and murder flower in the expanse. So I get the best view I can whilst staying low.
This expanse is freakin' huge. Much bigger than the forest expanse and that one already pushed my understanding of what an underground space could be. The roof is easily twice as high and through the low lying mist and trees I can't quite see the walls as they widen and curve away from our entrance. From what I have seen though I would judge this place to be at least double the size of the forest.
I recall that Formo told me that the radius of Pangera was around 10,000 km, which would make it significantly bigger than Earth, as I recall the radius of earth was 6 ish thousand... so that would mean the volume of Pangera would be..... Like.... Way larger. By.... A lot....
There is tons of space in here is what I'm trying to say. Apparently the expanses get even larger the lower you go, some are truly ridiculous from what I've heard. Perhaps they would even be a similar size to some countries on Earth if we were to compare the floor area, which is crazy to think about. Still, this marsh is easily larger than I expected to find an expanse in the first layer of the Dungeon.
This is either hitting the jackpot or a noose around my neck.
Expanses are the juicy goldmines of the Dungeon from what the Queen told me. Stronger monsters, more cores, mana infused natural resources like wood and stone with properties are all features of the expanses. Great opportunity also brings with it great danger. Expanse' are great points of conflict, not only between nations of the surface but between monsters down below. The big dogs all want the best territory and from I'm feeling the crocs have moved in and an extremely big dog/croc has set up shop here.
Perhaps the Crocs want to monopolise the Biomass being generated in this area? Maybe they aren't only sending out waves of monsters to terrorise the nearby surface but are also herding the weaker monsters straight into the belly of their parent to fuel the egg laying process....
Bizarre scenes of monsters willingly marching into the open mouth of a gigantic crocodile flit through my head. Surely not... The monsters seem unusually quiet and obedient but surely there's no chance that they would just walk to their deaths is there?
More investigation is needed and before more investigation can happen we need to learn more about the terrain in this expanse.
The wide pools of water everywhere are really frustrating my senses. There is enough hillocks of ground that I can hop from one to the next to move around without getting my feet wet but I can't sense any heat sources under the water and I can't see squat through the murky surface. The result is that I'm constantly on edge as I creep about, my compound eyes giving me superb vision of my surroundings but my mind is also focused on those deceptively placid waters.
The plant type monsters seem to be right at home here. The trees are dense, standing tall on splayed roots that plunge their thousand divided fingers into the waters and mixed between them are more tree-like monsters, their bark exteriors concealing the hungering creature within. The Branchies were a heck of a lot more friendly than these punks. I'll need to hunt down a few examples to sample the Biomass, try to get a clearer picture of what we are dealing with.
Some of the natural trees are absolutely enormous. At regular intervals, usually a few hundred metres from each other these massive trees rise out of the swampy water and spread their branches impossibly wide. Huge fleshy leaves the size of a lounge room spread shade everywhere. From below I can see strange shadows shifting about through the branches and on the foliage so I don't try to climb up at this point. I'll wait until I've managed to scope out a little more info.
Oooo here we go.
Nearby I can see a vibrant flower with several dark green pods on vines hovering around the main trunk of the plant. The flower itself is beautiful, shades of yellow and orange rippling across the petals in a strangely hypnotic pattern, almost as if the colours themselves are moving.... I almost feel a... lull.. Coming over me.... As if... tired....
HACK!!
Not today! Vigorously I shake my body to caste of the lethargy that had started to wash over me due to the influence of that damn plant. This must be some kind of mind affecting ability, perhaps caused by the pattern itself or maybe some spores in the air.
Thank goodness for a high will stat!
Ok.. This flower is going to get it. To learn about the creatures of this expanse I must engage in true diplomacy, monster style. Which of course means killing and eating.
Calling on my sub brains I have them weave the water construct from the mana in my core. I've been practicing with this transformation shape whenever I get the chance, whipping it up and then letting it dissolve so I can whip it up again. Practice makes perfect as they say and the time it takes to form it has been going down steadily. There's still a long time to go before I reach what I would consider mastery but I'm satisfied with my current progress.
Before long a bright and shiny new construct is glimmering inside my head and my brains get to work operating it, feeding in the raw mana in one end and producing the glittering blue energy out the other side. I don't think water mana is going to be super effective against this plant but since I'm practicing it I need to keep using it in order to become familiar with its uses.
[Mana Transformation has reached level 3]
Haha! There we go. Practicing the transformation magic is definitely reaping my the benefits of experience at least. Particularly when I've been using it in combat.
Alright flower. Time to get hosed.
-x-X-x-
Deftly I use my sub brains to weave together two water bolts, leaving one brain to maintain and operate the transformation construct, as I lie patiently in wait like the great hunter that I am. The flower has no way to detect me with my advanced stealth active and my positioning being on point.
[Water magic affinity has reached level 2]
Nice!
I need to keep practicing these spells in order to raise my proficiency as quickly as possible. The power of my current evolution is all in my capacity to utilise magic so I have to grind these skill until I can fling my spells about with practiced ease.
Gradually the bolts take shape and I take careful aim before unleashing them all at once.
POW! POW!
Two tear shaped orbs of water zoom through the air and smash into the flower, hitting the stem and the center of the petals directly. The impacts cannon into the plant type monster and it rocks back and forth on its stem, reeling from the sheer force of the strike.
If I had imagined before that using water magic on a plant was like giving it a gentle sprinkling I have been convinced with this attack. It's more like hurling a block of concrete at it. Unlike fire which causes damage by burning or electricity which zaps organism whilst also burning them, water doesn't seem to have any inherently harmful properties. It's important to remember though that when water is accelerated to sufficient speeds it becomes harder, more difficult to break up.
Rather than thinking of the water bolt as throwing a ball of water, it's more like throwing a ball of metal. The sheer kinetic force is what does the damage rather than any particular property of the mana.
Having been smashed with three water bolts the flower is reeling, it's vines desperately flailing about as it attempts to seek out the source of that vicious strike. The fun has only begun flower, I've got two more bolts on the way right now!
POW! POW!
CRASH!
Once again the two bolts collide with tremendous force, both of them smack against the stem of the flower this time. The impact are nearly simultaneous and the flower is knocked straight to the ground, the fibres of the stem are starting to tear and split where the bolts have struck it. If I were to keep attacking that spot the stem may simply snap, killing the monster directly. I almost feel bad for it. This is a rough way to fight, it's like I'm bludgeoning the thing to death by hurling rocks at it.
However, the flower seems to have gotten a bead on my location from the last strike. As it rights itself with difficulty the four pods surrounding the central flower swivel towards my direction and open, revealing a bizarre, mouth like arrangement on the inside. Just as I'm wondering what the heck is going to happen the mouths open wide and shriek!
YOWCH!
Super high pitched, almost inaudible sound waves batter against my ears from all four of the pods. It's a sonic attack! From a damn plant?! The sound tunnels straight through my ears and begins to rattle my brain. I can feel a wooziness begin to rise in me as the persistent sound waves try to stun my mind into rest.
Having unleashed it's sonic screech the main body of the flower rights itself with difficulty and presents its full glorious petal arrangement towards me. It immediately begins to employ that strangely hypnotic rippling technique, but more potent as the flower puts all of its effort towards lulling my mind.
Across the ground small vines are creeping towards me, hoping to seize the stunned and mesmerized prey and drag it towards the flower for consumption. In your dreams petal face!
POW! POW!
Using my strong Will I'm able to resist even Tiny's ear shattering scream, as if some dumb flower could hope to match that volume or potency, as for the petal dance, if I know it's coming I can steel myself against it long enough to form a few more water bolts!
The two bolts smash into the flower right on the stem and shatter the plant fibres there completely, breaking the stem and toppling the flower onto the ground. Take that!
[You have slain level 14 Fascinatio folium flos]
[You have gained experience]
Ha!
Defeating a plant with water is an odd feeling...
Too bad for this flower that my strengths matched up very well against its own. With my potent mental defences it isn't easy to hypnotize me, Tiny might be caught handily but not this ant!
Keeping low and trying not to attract any more attention than I need to I creep over and start eating the flower, keeping an eye on my surroundings as I do.
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Fascinatio folium flos, you are awarded one Biomass]
[Basic Profile of the Fascinatio folium flos unlocked]
[Fascinatio folium flos, Bewitching petal flower. This plant type monster uses a combination of powerful mental attacks to lull its opponent into a stupor, allowing it to use its relatively weak physical body to consume the prey. This monster is weak defensively and can be overcome with surprise but be careful of its sonic scream].
Yeah no doubt. Why are these profiles so full of information that would be immensely useful if known before fighting the creature but only be gained afterwards....
I gain another three Biomass from the plant before moving on to continue my exploration. I have thirteen points of Biomass now so it'll be worth stopping to mutate something when I get a chance.
I continue to poke about here and there, engaging the odd plant monster in combat to learn about their tendencies and practice my water magic skills. I end up gaining another level in water magic affinity and five more Biomass before I retreat from the marsh. More and more potent Croca-Beast variants are appearing nearby so I decide to get out of dodge and regroup with my gang, still hard at work on the tunnel shortcut.
["How are we folks? Enjoying the wonderful process of tunnel digging?"] I greet them.
[....]
[... yes master]
Nothing from Tiny and somewhat reluctant reply from Crinis.
"Yup-yup! Having a great time, Senior!" a very enthusiastic response from Vibrant!
"Right?! Digging is the best!"
"For sure! I just love the feel of dirt in my mandibles!"
Truly, only ant kind can fully appreciate the joy of tunnel digging. My own people understand me best! As I return to digging I decide to spend the Biomass I've accrued. The marsh is dangerous and I can't afford to hold off on building up any advantage that I can.
Firstly I decide to spend fourteen Biomass upgrading my Coordination Cortex to +5 so I can choose a mutation advancement. I'm reliant on my magic for offense in a way I haven't been before so I want to get every edge I can in this department.
Once again the menu appears in my mind with a plethora of juicy options to select from!
Let me see, let me see!
Ooooo. There's a lot here as usual! I can give my cortex an affinity to boost the efficiency when using a specific mana type... I rule that option out of hand. General strength is the name of the game! What else have we got...
I take my time to browse as my body stays busy shovelling dirt with my mandibles and eventually I settle on two fairly normal but in my opinion excellent choices.
[Harnessed coordination cortex. Improves efficiency when the cortex is coordinating multiple brains to work on a single task]
[Divergent Coordination Cortex. Improves efficiency when the cortex is coordinating multiple brains to work on individual tasks]
....
So do I want the brains to be more powerful when they are working together or when they are doing their own thing? Of course, there is always the option of coming back to the other upgrade at +10 so it's possible I could eventually choose both but which do I want right now?
Using both Sub brains to work together on one big job is handy for sure and something that could surely be useful to have boosted. One the other hand letting each brain cast its own spell is also great and makes my attacking options a lot more open.
I'll go for the Divergent.
There is still the possibility in the future that I'll be able to include more Sub-Brains and hook them up to the cortex so having each of them be more capable on their own will give me a better result I think.
[Do you wish to confirm this selection? This will cost 14 Biomass]
Go for it!
....
SNATCHIFLATCH!
MAH BRAINS!
THEY ITCHHHHHHHH!!!!
-x-X-x-
It takes a while for the vicious itch to fade. The coordination cortex is like an octopus that sits between my sub brains and the main mind so as it mutates and changes my entire brain zone lights up with itching. It's intolerable!
But finally gone!
The process finishes and I find my pet monsters looking at me funny. Look! Just because you lot can take the sensation of mutating like its nothing doesn't mean I can! I'm sensitive!
...maybe.
At any rate, keep digging!
It takes only a few hours of vigorous work to finally connect the new section of the shortcut to the old, meaning the travel time from the surface down to the marsh will be as short as an hour if there aren't monsters spawning in there or an hour and half if there are. It's a crude tunnel that zig-zags back and forth on a fairly steep grade, barely large enough to squeeze Tiny through. When he evolves again we are going to have to put in a lot of work expanding all of these passages for the big lug. To celebrate this momentous achievement, I've decided that we'll all pitch in and collect a feast for ourselves and then another feast that we can take up to the Queen.
I place Crinis on defence duty at the shortcut entrance to make sure nothing sneaks out of the expanse and then Tiny, Vibrant and myself start roaming the tunnels looking for Biomass. Crinis isn't really built to be an offensive hunter, at least not yet, so placing her in position where she can deploy her tentacles thinly like a spiders web to detect intruders and snatch them up is the best use of her talents. Tiny and I are more than capable of dealing with the monsters that spawn out of the walls here.
Sadly we don't find many. Since the monsters are drawn by that mysterious pressure to run into the marsh expanse upon spawning they can't build their numbers and get caught up fighting each other in the tunnels. Asides from a few stragglers and slow moving plant types the pickins' are pretty darn slim.
[Master! Return to my location I think something is happening] Crinis suddenly speaks in my mind.
[We are on the way Crinis. What's going on?] I mean... something could be happening but how the heck would she know? If a fireworks display was going on around her she'd have no idea.
[I can feel vibrations in the tunnel floor, and they keep getting stronger. I think something is approaching] she explains.
Ohhhhh. Makes a lot of sense really. She does have quite a responsive sense of touch, she kind of has to since it's the only sense that she has... She'll have to wait until evolution before she'll be able to take advantage to some of the changes I made to her core.
With Vibrant resting on my head and Tiny lumbering behind we make our way back at full speed to the entrance of our shortcut tunnel where Crinis had been posted on guard duty. Just in time too.
Although Crinis was unable to tell what was causing the vibrations I could see perfectly well what was happening. Another horde of monsters was piling out of the marsh expanse and into the tunnel, hurtling in our direction as quickly as their beastly limbs could carry them!
["It's another mob of monsters guys! Action stations! Prepare to dive! Crinis, engage feast mode!"] I holler frantically at my group.
The horde is nearly upon us, only a few metres away at this point but Crinis wastes no time! Immediately she retracts the thin sensing tendrils she had laid out and reforms her tentacles into the thick, monster crushing engines of destruction we need them to be. Her main body swells up to its full beach ball size, splitting open to reveal her hungering maw.
Tiny is no slower to prepare for action. In his case he simply pushes past me and flings himself at the crowd of monsters, howling with glee! He doesn't say much but I get the feeling the big guy has not enjoyed feeling so subdued by the pressure emanating from the center of the expanse, he's not the kind of monster who wants to shy away from a fight, he wants to get in there and punch faces, especially with strong enemies.
The feeling of being reluctant to run forward and challenge something has been a strange new sensation for this normally suicidal ape. I'd welcomed the change, personally I think not wanting to fling yourself at some mysterious boss monster is just downright sensible but Tiny isn't built that way.
Now he has a chance to work his frustrations out on a massive horde of foes and he is going to take it!
Before the charging mass of monsters has even reached Crinis, Tiny bowls into them with his formidable mass, sending monsters flying, slamming into the walls and ceiling.
[Crinis! Move towards the expanse and engage! Tiny ran past you to fight so you need to shift up the tunnel!]
[Oh!.. Uh.. Understood master!]
Hearing my orders Crinis uses her tentacles to propel herself forward and soon those grasping limbs come into contact with the edges of the horde that are already starting to wrap around Tiny and attack his vulnerable back. Those monsters rather suddenly find themselves wrapped up themselves as their bodies are rent by Crinis' and then tossed into the limitless darkness of her maw.
[... just a reminder not to eat them all Crinis... we need enough for all of us and the Queen] I decide to say.
[S.. Sorry master! I forgot myself!] she stammers.
[I mean it's fine to eat, just don't go nuts] I relent.
[Ok!]
It shouldn't need to be said but boy can she eat a lot... I wish I had that stomach. I kind of dismissed all stomach upgrades in the evolution menu out of hand but I'm really starting to see the value in them. If I can hold more food or process it more efficiently then my Biomass deficiency should be taken care of, or at least alleviated somewhat. Something to consider for next time...
Right now I need to deal with these monsters!
With Tiny smashing his way through fists first, lightning sparking off him in increasingly intense waves and Crinis starting to wind up her threshing machine I decide to hang back and offer support.
I still have my water mana transformation construct active so I start feeding it double time and weaving together a spell.
The water cannon!
With my potent main mind on the job it doesn't take long to get it up and running and suddenly a massive torrent of water blasts out from just above my head, cannoning into the monsters on Tiny's left and knocking them off their feet.
Haha! Time for some crowd control!
I scuttle up the wall and move closer to unleash the full fury of my water cannon on the densely packed monsters. The sheer pressure of the water smacking into the monsters doesn't do a whole lot of damage but it sure knocks them around a lot! From up here I can fire upon the monsters just in front of Tiny without hitting the big lug so I sweep the spell across the crowd, sending monsters flying into their neighbours from the impact.
Gweheheh!
With my assistance keeping the enemies from swarming him Tiny is able to unleash his strength to the fullest, lashing out with massive sweeps of his gigantic fists and pulverising monsters with every swing. At one point he unleashes a furious uppercut that slams a monster straight into the roof! Holy heck!
Not willing to be outdone I flip control of my hose over to a sub brain and task the other with maintaining and feeding the construct so I can concentrate on more spells. First thing I do is form a few gravity spears and throw them into the pack at various points to further destabilise the monsters, making life easier for my two pets. I also realise something rather nasty about that particular technique as several monsters are caught in the overlap between spear effects and find themselves being pulled hard in opposite directions...
It wasn't pretty.
I mean, the force wasn't enough to pull the monsters directly in half or anything but they sure didn't look like they enjoyed the experience.
I could probably form a Gravity Bomb and lob it into the thick of the pack, the monsters are still streaming out of the expanse and packing the tunnel, I'll be shocked if there isn't another thousand of them, but I want to keep as much Biomass as possible. This is a gift racing straight into our stomachs and I refuse to let it go!
At this point another curious synergy is becoming apparent. Tiny's fists are completely sparking with electricity by this point and his body is starting to zap nearby monsters, such is the charge he's built up. Due to my excellent deployment of my super soaker the monsters around him are also drenched in water....
ZAP! ZAP! ZAP!
Electricity begins to arc and crackle throughout the saturated monsters with every swing of Tiny's fists! The electricity discharging into the monsters bodies and then leaping to the next. With every swing of his fists Tiny is damaging five or six monsters and he starts to cut them down even faster than before!
Nice! Maintain that hose! I'd like to say I planned this but I really didn't! If anyone asks me though.... I'll smile mysteriously and act smug..... Gweheheheh.
My feet are continuing to soak up mana from the floor at a furious rate, feeding my core which in turn continues to feed the water mana. Finally this upgrade is able to show its true might!
-x-X-x-
After continuing to hose down the foes and let Tiny's fists smack them with electricity the idea finally occurs to me to widen the damage out even further. I take over the hose with my main mind and start spraying as wide a field of monsters as possible. It doesn't matter if I knock them down it only matters if they get soaked!
[Crinis! Move forward and support Tiny for a minute]
[Yes master!]
My faithful death blob wriggles a little closer to her fellow pet and extends her tentacles around his sides to snatch up and smash the monsters who try and swarm around the giant ape whilst my hose is no longer providing the same level of crowd control.
It takes me a little while to thoroughly drench the monsters in the tunnel and I can't quite reach the ones at the back as they pile in from the Marsh expanse. It'll have to do.
[Crinis, back off again and Tiny, you unleash your lightning!]
Crinis responds quickly and retracts her tentacles as I turn the water cannon back onto the monsters surrounding Tiny whilst the ape.... Keeps swinging his fists.
[Tiny! Shoot the lightning!]
[..... ?]
[The lightning! Shoot the lightning from your hands!]
[..... Am]
ARRRGGGH! You dumb ape!
[Not like this the one where you shoot the electricity in a big bolt! You've done it before!]
[..... When?]
I swear I'll use core surgery to give you a brain again, think dammit!
As if feeling my animosity drilling into the back of his head, Tiny pauses for a moment before responding to me.
[Oh.. Like this?]
A huge amount of electricity bursts out of his body and crackles across his fur in jagged arcs that flood towards his right hand. As the charge builds up the hand glows brighter and brighter, dozens of electric bolts sparking off it every second. With a roar Tiny thrusts the hand forward and bright arc of electricity blasts out of his hand and covers the saturated monsters in electrical energy, frying them instantly!
The entire tunnel lights up as Tiny passes his hand across the crowd of monsters, controlling the arcing bolt of electrical energy and letting every monster have a taste. The apes body continues to release unbelievable amounts of energy that slithers down his arm like countless electric snakes before blasting out of his hand.
Sensational!
[That's the one Tiny! Good stuff!] I praise him.
At my words Crinis retracts her tentacles even further and shrinks a little.... Is she sulking? Surely not...
[Crinis you'll need to step up in a moment, Tiny can't maintain it much longer]
[ok!] she responds, sounding full of life.
Must have been my imagination...
The monsters that had been exposed to my watery torrent of death have long been fried and the fresh ones from behind are pressing forward blindly, packing into the tunnel. Tiny has been able to maintain his lightning arc for a good thirty seconds before it suddenly fizzles out and he runs out of juice.
[Back up Tiny and catch your breath, let Crinis past you]
Reluctantly the ape acquiesces to my orders and falls back, allowing Crinis to slither past him to the front line where she can fully display her talents in reaping the chaff. Tiny would happily continue fighting but he can't refuse my order. He would win, of that I've no doubt but I don't to see the big guy getting hurt for no reason.
I'm too soft!
Sorry Tiny! Perhaps one day you'll be able to indulge your suicidal impulses and punch your way into an early grave, but it isn't this day.
With an almost tangible feeling of delight Crinis has returned to her crunching best and tentacles fly in all directions, knocking down monsters, grabbing others and shredding them before flinging them into the walls or into packs of monsters, scattering them like bowling pins.
Tiny is reduced to supporting, smashing down monsters that try and surround Crinis or break past her to run deeper into the tunnel. In the interest of training my water magic further I once again pass the water cannon to my sub brains and use my main mind to throw down some water bolts to train faster.
My efforts are rewarded before the end of the battle by the soothing tones of Gandalf ringing in my mind.
[Mana Transformation has reached level 4]
[Water mana affinity has reached level 4]
Yass!
This what I wanted to hear!
I do notice that using the mana transformation to power two spells at once, particularly a consistently draining one like the water cannon, is really putting a strain on the system. Especially so when I'm using one sub brain to hold the construct in place as well as feed the mana into it.
My sub brains are proving to be massively capable and they've increased my spell casting flexibility to a huge degree. However I'm still finding that more sub brains may be necessary in the future. I mean, I've got the coordination cortex already, the more brains I plug into it the better efficiency I'll get.
I'll shelve this for future consideration.
It takes another ten minutes to finish off the monster horde and I manage to snag two levels by ditching water bolts on monsters from above and then charging in to mob up the dregs with my mandibles. I must have been close to level four already but grabbing another two levels is certainly nice. More skill points in the bank for my upcoming spending spree!
Once we are done we stand in the wreckage of nearly one thousand monsters, so many that they are clogging up the tunnel nearly to the roof in places. This is madness! What are all these newly born monsters doing? If they're following orders for some reason, what is that purpose?
Why am I thinking about this when I could be eating instead?
OM NOM NOM.
The four of us chow down to the limits of our respective stomachs, I myself manage to crunch in and fill every stomach to bursting, netting myself fifteen points of Biomass. I really do need to investigate this stomach situation, because Crinis must have gotten double what I did if the disappearing act she pulled on that food was anything to go by. The worst part is that once she's finished she once again attempts to break my back my shrinking herself down and taking her customary position.
Gah... I need to work on my legs...
After resting briefly we start hauling the food up the shortcut to the surface. We can't take it all between the four of us but over a few hours we make a number of trips and manage to pile up a respectable haul that I mark with pheromones before we tread our weary way back to the nest. I'll need to check in with the humans at some point... ugh.
Before then I'm going to check in on the Queen. I'm interested to see if Mother has been properly upgrading herself or stocking up on Biomass to lay eggs...