Chapter 426 Wrong Legged
To my eyes, there is nothing wrong with the tunnel ahead. More of the coral-like plant fronds crop up, along with a few specimens of stabbing fronds, which I'll provide my trademark service whenever I can. Visually, there's nothing wrong, the scene is peaceful, idyllic. One might even venture to say picturesque. My mana sense, however, paints a very different scene.
Threads of pure shadow cover the tunnel from top to bottom. As if the darkness itself had been woven into thick webs that cling to the walls, the ceiling and the floor for dozens of metres. Worst of all, in the centre of the mess sits the most horrific looking arachnid I've ever imagined. I look down on spiders for having two more legs than is necessary. I mean, you get to six legs, the perfect number, enjoyed by the majority of lifeforms on Earth and probably Pangera. You're at six, why the hell would you keep getting more? You've achieved leg nirvana, the goldilocks zone of legs! An organism would have to be diabolically stupid, or dipped in pure distilled evil to fail to recognise the holy nature of the insect.
So I hate spiders for that reason. Stupid or evil, I care not which. They all are horrible and deserve what comes to them. This spider has seen the wicked ways of its kind, witnessed them indulge in their cauldron of sin and thought itself: "What we have going on here? It's good stuff. I'm impressed, I dig the vibe. But check this crazy idea. What if we had... what if we were to have... more legs?"
I recoil in horror as the bloated beast reveals itself to my mind. Eight? No. Ten? No. Twelve? Not at all. Sixteen legs! Why?! In the name of all that is good and sacred in this world and all others, WHY?! That number of legs is completely superfluous! I cannot imagine any advantage to be gained by possessing this ridiculous number of legs. This creature I cannot allow to survive! I shall rend it to pieces and devour its legs with savage glee! Glee I tell you!
Facing off against the many-legged Taratect of legend, I won't back down. The webs will be a problem, but not one that I can't handle. They appear to be woven out of attributed mana, not actually physical or tangible in the normal sense. Luckily for me, my acid is the perfect tool for deconstructing this mess.
Foul creature of evil! Eat acid!
POW! POW! POW! POW!
[Hurr?!] Tiny grunts in confusion as I unleash acid into the seemingly normal tunnel. His expression changes quickly as tangles ropes of shadow begin to melt and fray into view.
We're going to have to do something for Tiny, he's going to struggle in this Strata if he can't see what he's doing. Crinis has none of these issues and is completely aware of what I'm doing.
[Why does it have so few limbs?] She asks with revulsion.
[... Wrong question Crinis. And I have less!?]
[You're different! You're perfect, Master!]
[Correct! Insect kind reigns supreme!]
POW! POW!
More acid flies out, chewing through the webs at a rapid clip. The many legged spider doesn't appear to enjoy the process of having its sweet home torn into shreds. From its position clinging to the top of the tunnel with its grotesque number of legs the spider descends and reaches out. Able to grip both sides off the tunnel at once its limbs seem to stretch forever as it begins to advance on us with a deadly grace.
Yuck! This just keeps getting worse! The creature is like a nightmare daddy long-legs of a spider! Each limb is metres long, thin and bent sharply at the joint. The details of the body are still hard to make out. It's bulbous and disgusting, I can say that much with certainty, but the rest is still hidden in darkness.
Not for long!
POW! POW! POW!
Raising my business end up high, I aim forward and continue to deliver liquid justice toward the face of the creature. The more my acid chews through the web, the more the scattering droplets splash closer to the offending beast.
Unleashing a long guttural hiss, the spider bares its fangs at me and what a hideous maw it is. Not one set of fangs, oh no, just like everything else about this arachnid, it's decided to take things to extremes. It's mouth is nearly enough to rival that of Crinis, my dear murder sphere, in its sheer horrific-ness. Multiple sets of jaws make a ring of sharp grabbers that reach out, grasping at the air as if tasting me.
It seems as if you want to get closer to me, mister spider. I believe I can find it in my heart to grant your wish!
My sub-minds stir and begin to pump gravity mana into my mandibles. Their combined efforts are able to flood my jaws with energy in a few seconds, energy which I'm only too happy to reach out with towards our many legged friend.
YOINK!
I seize the spider and cause it to fall toward me, preparing the Omen Chomp Skill to deal fantastic and deadly damage to this offensive arachnid. However, the beast reacts with incredible speed, digging into the walls with its claws and defying the suddenly resistible call of my face hands.
Damn you spider! Do I really have to go in there and get you?!
POW! POW! POW!
I unleash further blasts of acid at the arachnid, trying to bait it out, but it proves to be surprisingly dextrous, dodging wildly and trying to remain ensconced within its tattered web. Maybe I'll try ...
YOINK!
My mandibles glow bright with gravitation mana once more as I try to drag the spider out, but it resists once again, snatching at the walls with its many legs and straining against my pull. This damn spider! It wants me to chase it into what remains of its webs. I'm not going in there, who knows what crazy shadow web tricks it has going on in there! I also don't want to have to sit here and acid the webs away. The gross stuff extends for dozens of metres, I can't be bothered melting it all!
I feel Crinis stir on my back and I tip my front end upwards a little to get a better view. Perhaps frustrated by my lack of progress at extracting our webbed friend, she wants to take action. Her permanent tentacles wiggle back and forth as she concentrates and the darkness around her deepens, thickening until it almost appears solid. Her body ripples like the surface of a pond after you throw in a stone and a dozen limbs flash out of her main body and plunge into the shadow portal she created around herself.
The spider unleashes a shriek of surprise as its body is seized by Crinis. Actually no, she's not going for the body, she's going for the legs! Her tentacles lash out from the darkness and wind around each of the spider's legs in a flash, immobilising it in an instant. Furious, the spider opens its jaws wide and sink its fangs into one of the offending limbs.
[Tsk.] Crinis mutters, withdrawing the damaged tentacle before she extends others to wrap around it and carve it off.
[What the heck, Crinis?!]
[Poison.]
[Ah.]
The rest of the spiders legs begin to suffer much the same as Crinis' tentacles as her buzzing barbs begin to rend them from its body. With the spider momentarily incapacitated in this way, Tiny is finally able to make it out in the darkness. With a whoop of joy, he leaps forward, heedless of the webs, reaching his victim just as his fellow pet completes her dark work and de-legs the spider.
What follows is mercifully brief as Tiny electrifies his fists and smashes the spider's head into a fine paste. I feel like he was venting his frustration, much as I wanted to do. Ah well, nice job, Tiny.
-x-X-x-
The perils of the Dungeon are many. Physiological and psychological. There are many threats that seek to cause bodily harm. The monsters, naturally, are what most consider the deadliest things a person might encounter in the Dungeon, and I admit that the lay person may have the right of it in this instance. Ravenous beasts with a boundless ferocity and low cunning are the least threatening of these creatures. At deeper levels one must contend with creatures capable of so much more. Magic, strategy, social hierarchy, advanced pack tactics accompanied by higher stats and more developed skills.
But this is far from the only threat. Starting in the second strata, the Dungeon spawns more complex eco-systems. The Shadow Sea (as some refer to it) being the first of these makes it no less deadly. Large and terrifying monsters may require most of a would-be delvers' attention, but the stone and tunnel holds innumerable fatal threats.
Then there's the cold, relentless biting cold. Without the proper Skills and preparation, it saps away energy, drains focus and is yet another burden, along with the unending dark, that weighs on the mind. Many a brave Mercenary has been broken by the second strata without ever battling a monster there. It is a place that is inimical to the sapient races of the surface, designed to trap and destroy them, break and bury them. Yet we persist in rushing toward our doom, desperate to unlock the wealth and mystery of the world beneath our feet. No sooner had a team conquered the second strata than they rushed into the third, only to find a whole new world of challenges that awaited them.
The conditions of the Dungeon, Magio Scholar Tarius.
The Biomass of shadow monsters always has a weird texture. It's rubbery and feels less solid, but at the same time is quite filling. I don't partake too much, the pets still take priority, but I get a couple of points from it, which goes to show this spider must have evolved at least a few times.
May as well check the profile. I'm interested to see what the Dungeon has to say about it.
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Aranea Plurimorum, you are awarded one Biomass]
[Basic profile of the Aranea Plurimorum unlocked]
[Aranea Plurimorum - Many Hands Spider. This monster uses its stealth and webs formed of shadow mana to entrap its prey. An ambush hunter by nature, direct confrontation is not this creatures greatest strength.]
Yeah, I get that much. Spiders are cowards, everyone knows that. Filthy, many-legged wimps who shun a fair fight. I'll conveniently ignore any and all webless arachnids to justify my snobbery. You don't see ants hiding in wait, making sticky traps! No! Ants charge forward, facing up to much larger and more powerful foes in a direct assault! Sure, we usually outnumber our opponents several thousand to one, but hey, no need to focus on the little details.
Still, the webs weren't too impressive in the end, Tiny was able to leap straight through them, no problem at all. Crinis and I had to pick our way through a little more gingerly. I'm not sure why, but I just don't like the look of the stuff. The web hasn't dissolved or anything since we defeated the spider. In order to progress through the tunnel we're going to have to melt or destroy it.
[Good job getting on top of that spider, Tiny. I'm impressed you could break through the webs so easily.]
The big ape looks proud of himself, a wide smile on his bat-like face. With a wide wave of his meaty hand he manages to convey the sense that it was no trouble at all but only he could have managed it.
[Don't get so full of yourself. You had no clue if that web would be safe for you to jump through. What if you'd gotten stuck?]
He frowns and clenches a fist before waving it with vigour. He's saying that it wouldn't matter what the web had going on, he'd have been able to smash through it regardless.
[This is what I keep saying. You can't just smash everything with brute strength. What about Garralosh? You couldn't fight her with strength could you?]
He deflates a little and waves his fist vaguely toward the ceiling.
[You'd have been able to fight her if you were just a bit stronger?! I think you'd need to be a lot stronger. I'm serious here you dumb ape. I'm worried that one of these days you're going to get yourself into a real mess. Crinis and I have both been poisoned so far in this stupid shadow layer. What would you do if you were inflicted with that?]
A fierce grin splits his face and he wiggles his eyebrows.
[No you can't punch poison, you idiot!]
Still smiling the great ape goes back to shovelling the Biomass into his face. Well, he seems fine. Out of idle curiosity I check his status. I don't know what I expect to see, but something brings me up short.
[Hey Tiny, did that spider injure you?]
He frowns at me, insulted by the suggestion.
[No? So why are you missing three HP?]
He looks confused for a moment before he starts to check over his body, shifting his arms to inspect them carefully before pawing at his back. Unable to find any wounds he shrugs at me and goes back to eating.
During the whole performance I watch as his health ticks down another point.
[You got poisoned by the webs you idiot!]
I slap myself in the forehead with one antenna out of frustration. Of course there was some trick to the webs! There were made out of shadow mana! There's no way a bottom feeding monster like a spider would be satisfied just wrapping people up with webs. There'd be tricks to it. Attributes in the threads, razor sharp threads, remote thread control, weapons made out of webs! All sorts of stuff is possible!
And whilst I've been thinking his health has gone down another two points! For his part, Tiny looks mildly confused. He raises up on fist and acts as if he were going to hit himself in the stomach, then looks at me.
[NO! You can't punch the poison out of yourself! Just how dumb can you be?! Argh! I'll have to try healing you. Hold on a minute.]
Grumbling at the effort required, I laboriously start to weave together a healing mana construct. It's not one I've used before and learning a new construct is always a massive pain in the abdomen. More complex that an architectural schematic, more intricate than an artwork. Without the Skills and beyond human brain power, they'd be impossible to hold in one mind.
Luckily I've got four minds now! It still takes me ten minutes to get it up and running. I push out some healing mana and ungraciously pour it into Tiny. He'd lost thirty HP whilst waiting for me and I keep pumping it into him until he gets back up to full.
[There you go, you dumb ape. Try not to do - ...]
His health is still going down. We might have a problem here.
-x-X-x-
I continue to heal Tiny every few minutes as we sit in the ruins of the lousy spider's web. Every time I heal him, his health starts to trickle down again a few moments later. Does this poison never run out? What the heck is going with it?! If I had the power of resurrection then I'd bring that stupid spider back just so I could kill it all over again. How dare it do this to my loyal, stupid, hardworking, idiotic, steadfast and stupid pet?!
But after an hour of constantly healing him, my minds are starting to hurt and the slow leak of health out of Tiny is yet to stop. Begrudgingly I spend a Skill point to buy Healing Magic Affinity Level 1. I probably should have bought it ages ago, it's not like it's never going to come in handy, but for some reason I held off. I don't want to be the healer of the party, I want to shove that responsibility to another so I can focus on being badass and annihilating stuff. But if just dumping healing mana into the big ape isn't going to do the job, perhaps the skill will teach me some poison removal magic?
Aha!
It's here. I thought as much. The trickling knowledge of healing magic is filling up my brain! Lots of new spell forms and interesting methods are here, including one for the removal of poison. Grumbling at the inconvenience, I whip up the required spell and apply to the ape who still looks like he wants to punch himself in the stomach.
I should let him...
The healing mana settles onto him and sinks into his body whilst I sit back with a sigh. There we go, crises averted.
[Be more careful next time you moron!] I scold Tiny.
He frowns, his bat ears twitch and he holds his fist up once more.
[NO! I just cured you! Why would you want to punch yourse- ...]
His health is still going down...
DAMMIT! Why?! What the heck kind of web-fu did that taratect have going on, huh? Hacks? Is it hacks? Some sort of cheat skill?! I never got one of those Gandalf! You bearded moron!
[Crinis! Do you have any idea what is going on? Some sort of Shadow poison? Have you seen a skill like that at all?]
[No, I haven't. But I don't think it's poison...]
[What? What do you mean?]
[Look closely, Master. You should be able to see it with your mana sense.]
[My mana vision isn't as good as yours...]
I focus on Tiny once more, not with my eyes, but with my mind. Crinis has a huge advantage over me here in this department, but my skills aren't totally lacking. Letting my mind reach out I examine with minute detail the mana that flows through Tiny's body. His core flares bright in my mind and the energy that ripples through his entire frame is bright and energetic. He seems fine? Wait!
I grasp a sliver of something that slips away from me. What the heck was that? Determined, I focus harder and strain to grasp what I'd seen. There it is! Roaming through his body like a cunning worm is a slithering shard of shadow mana! It wasn't poison that those webs injected him with, it was a spell!
How insidious! This must be some sort of advanced Skill or technique, it has to be. I get the feeling that spider was quite a high level, grown fat during the wave on the fresh monsters that swarmed through its tunnel. Now that I can sense what is happening, I can see the harm being done in real time. Like a dark snake the mana flits throughout Tiny's body, wrecking and damaging everything it comes across, causing his HP to drop. When I heal the damage, his situation doesn't improve as the mana continues its work. The poison removal didn't work, since it's not actually poison that he's infected with!
What the heck are we supposed to do?!
[Alright Tiny. I want to listen carefully.]
A serious expression comes across the bat features of my first pet. He leans forward, attentive, his huge fists curled in his lap.
[You aren't poisoned by the spider. You've been infected with damaging Shadow Mana.]
His eyes steady, Tiny nods slowly. Then, he thunderously punches himself in the stomach. Unable to resist his own colossal strength, he groans and collapses to the tunnel floor.
[... you idiot.]
After I heal him up again, he managed to do quite a lot of damage to himself, I try to use external mana manipulation to dissolve or remove the offending spell but it's too hard for me. Either the fact that the mana is trapped within his body, which means it's more difficult for me to effect, or its too elusive and slippery for me to take hold of.
And so it comes to this. I decide that we'll continue our delve of the second strata and I'll have to keep healing Tiny as we go. Perhaps if my healing mana gets to a high enough rank I'll be able to cure him, or if my external mana manipulation ranks up, I'll be able to help. Either way, the spell inside him is small enough that he doesn't lose his health super quickly. As long as I keep topping him up, he'll be fine.
Still, it's an inconvenience I'd rather not have to put up with, and the constant threat to my oldest companions life is anxiety inducing. We're off to a poor start here in the second strata. We need to be smarter in our approach. Although, considering the membership of our group, with me leading it, this mess was somewhat predictable. Well the benefit of hindsight is 20-20 as they say. We can only move forward with greater wisdom! Greater enthusiasm!
Whoops! Better heal Tiny again...
I'm going to have to manage my sub-brains, or have them manage each other. They can flip the job of maintaining the construct between them in order to get enough rest. With three of them, it should be fine. By fine, I mean I won't have to dedicate my main mind to the job of topping Tiny off. This should help to train my skills quickly as well.
With that renewed spirit we set off once more! I clear out the spider webs and we advance down the side tunnel. There are still small plants cropping up and we take some time to investigate each one before we continue. Crinis is forced to sacrifice two more tentacles to poison and negative energy as we progress. I'm starting to sense a theme in this strata. We come across a few creatures that are easily dispatched, but then we find something that really irritates me.
Centipedes.... Always with the lousy centipedes.
-x-X-x-
Before me in the tunnel twists a tangled trap of terrible centipedes. Clearly though, these centipedes are of a new and different breed. Bodies of sleek shadow flesh, segmented armour that practically smokes with dark wisps of mana and gnashing mandibles that gleam to my mana sense.
I mean. What the hell?! Why does the Dungeon love these stupid creatures so much? Of all the invertebrates that exist on Earth, or that the Dungeon could dream up and cobble together out of random insect parts or something. Why is it that the Dungeon is so prepared to lavish its love on these filthy centipedes?! I'm starting to understand the point of view of the Sophos more and more... Perhaps I'll do just as Formo suggested and eliminate every root and twig of these cursed creatures from the Dungeon just to expose their inferiority once and for all!
[Tiny! Crinis! Attack without mercy! Annihilate them all!]
DASH!
The three of us rush forward to do battle and the centipedes hiss with fury as they sense us approaching their nest. The creatures appear to have abandoned the built up mound style of nest I observed in the forest expanse and instead look to have dug out a pit into the tunnel floor. It's sizeable, more than ten metres across, and it is filled with the hideous things.
They gnash their mandibles, spit and splutter as we throw ourselves bodily into the pit. Dozens of centipedes rise up to meet me but they hold no fear for me. Even if this new species is larger and more formidable than the old version, I'll show them what I'm made of!
CLINK! CLANK!
Mandibles and stingers fly from every side only to bounce off my precious diamond carapace. I can't wait to upgrade it again, the day when I'm covered in precious diamond will come soon! Prepare to receive the bite of justice and destiny, filthy bugs!
Omen Chomp!
The mandibles of dark energy expand before me as my stamina plummets and six centipedes are caught between the ethereal jaws.
CRUNCH!
[You have slain level 14 Stitit Tenebris Scolopendra (II)]
...
[You have gained experience]
A whole new breed of centipede for me to destroy! I shall purge them all!
BOOM!
Tiny leaps down in the pit and collapses on the swarming monsters like a rockslide. A rockslide bursting with electrical energy for some reason. The sound of sparking lightning fills the air as his fur writhes with ropes of electricity that sizzle and flare every time he touches a foe, which is lots, since he's in a pit full of them. The cries of burning bugs and the scent of roasting Biomass fill the air.
Haha! More!
CHOMP! CHOMP!
The pit is filled with dozens of centipedes and their rage at having their home invaded is palpable. They bite and stab at us and we return in kind. Crinis is able to extend her limbs to reach every nook and crevice of this habitat and she begins to carve the creatures apart without mercy. I feel that my pets may have inherited my distaste of this creature. Which is a good thing! Hatred of centipedes should be universal!
Despite being a new species, the clutch of creepy crawlies proves to be of little threat and we exterminate them in short order. A triumph for Ant kind over the weaker arthropod! And now, the feast!
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Stitit Tenebris Scolopendra].
[Basic Profile Unlocked]
[A new variant of the Claw Centipede, the Dark Arisen Centipede has taken on the properties of the second strata, such as shadow flesh, affinity for darkness and shadow, as well as enhanced poison abilities. Along with a general increase of toughness, cunning, might and will, the Dark Arisen Centipede is far more dangerous than its weaker cousins.]
You what!? Damn you, Gandalf! You've lavished this level of attention on these stupid creatures, and they're still so weak? I'm gonna eat them all! Just you watch!
We chomp our way through the nest of coiled insects, Crinis in particular shoving them into her cavernous maw with relish, before we continue to explore the tunnels. Having to pause and heal Tiny every so often is a bit of a pain, but otherwise we make good progress. We find a few monsters, but nothing so extreme as the spider for the next few hours and we begin to get into a groove.
It's taking a little while for me to adjust to being nearly sightless. After investing so much of my early Biomass points in my eyes, it's quite painful to come down to this strata and find myself totally blinded. I assumed it would be dark down here, but this level of dark is out of control. Goths would hesitate in the face of this much black. To my mana sense the walls positively pulse with the shadow mana that flows through the Dungeon veins, leaching out into the air and stealing away the light.
The monsters glitter, like small glowing points of shifting energy in a dark cloud. It's hard to make them out, but it's doable, and I'm getting better with practice. A few more Skill levels won't hurt, but I expect it's going to take a couple of days for that to happen. In the meantime, I think I can make do with what I have. Tiny's the one struggling the most. He's basically just operating on sound and the light he can produce from his electricity. Whenever he bumps into something he starts sparking just long enough for him to demolish whatever it was that got in his way, usually a rock.
The tunnel twists and turns, but always slopes downward. The further we go, the thicker and more dense the corals and plants become, forcing us to shift our path or cut our way through. It takes time but we progress at a steady pace. There are some smaller tunnels that shoot off this one, but most are too small for me to enter anymore. These places are the refuge of the weaker and smaller monsters, amongst which I no longer count myself a member.
After a few more hours we come back to the main tunnel that we broke off from. I can see in my tunnel map that we've moved basically in parallel but followed a far more twisting path. Not to worry, we need to continue gathering experience.
[Come on Tiny, let's follow a few more of the side tunnels before we get too much further. If we keep following this major tunnel, we're sure to connect to an expanse eventually and I want us to be ready.]
[Hurr.]
Tiny rumbles a growl back at me. I can tell he's still irritated by the shadow mana ripping through his body and the monsters we've battled so far haven't been enough to slake his desire for challenge. I'm not too worried though. I'm sure the second strata has way more interesting things to throw at us that what we've seen so far...
-x-X-x-
It's true that shadow monsters seem to be stronger than the creatures of the first strata at a lower level of evolution. Most of the monsters we encounter are tier two or three, but they are significantly stronger than monsters of that same tier we encountered above. It's keeping life interesting, but the experience and Biomass penalties are still applied. Frustrating! With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I'm coming to realise this means I'll be permanently gimped for being born as a first strata monster.
It makes sense, Dungeon wise. Down here the mana is thicker and attributed. This means the Dungeon is able to produce different kinds of body parts, the shadow flesh, for example. Who knows what the lower strata monsters are capable of, or what they're made of? Perhaps there are ants born below who are diamond from the moment they come out of their pupal stage....
Jealous! That better not be true!
The only way we can keep up is to push our mutations and Skills to the limit. Although, I wonder if it's possible to recreate certain body parts as more powerful versions, made from more mana intensive materials, is what I'm driving at. I've not seen the option so far, but that doesn't mean it won't ever exist. Perhaps just arriving in the second strata was enough to unlock the option. I'll have to wait until I evolve again to confirm this, but that's a long way in the future. Tier five creatures are thin on the ground so far, but to be fair we're only creeping through smaller side tunnels right now. Other than the strong monsters who've created their own little kingdoms like that spider, there are mostly small fry here now.
Must have been crazy down here during the wave though. Thank goodness I never had to see it.
[Master, I sense something strange.]
[Really?]
Mana sense levelled up a little while ago and I was able to rank it up to Expanded mana sensing, which improved my range, but not my finesse. Crinis still has me dead to rights when it comes to detecting our foes.
[I'm not finding anything though?]
I concentrate harder but to no avail.
[It's weird,] Crinis mutters, [it's like dust? The moment I find it, it's gone again.]
I can feel the orb on my back writhing its tentacles back and forth as she tries to find whatever has triggered her eye.
[Tiny, you hearing anything?]
One thing we've learned is that Tiny's ears, even without mutations, are really good. I shouldn't be surprised, considering he has the large, triangular ears of a bat. I think when he evolves again, he should make them mutable. When I ask what he hears, he cocks his head to one side and listens for a moment before shaking his heavy head.
[Think you can give us some light?]
The big ape nods and concentrates for a moment before he begins to spark, electricity roaming over his fur and illuminating the tunnel oh so slightly. The flickering light throws the objects in the tunnel into relief, ironically filling the tunnel with shadows. Because that's what we need more of.
It's enough light that my fancy compound eyeballs are able to be put to use and I scan the tunnel to try and find what it is that we're sensing. But there's nothing there.
[Are you sure, Crinis?]
[Positive. It's fast, and small. I think there's more of them.]
[Eh? More? Like, how many?]
I look around nervously, but I don't even know what I'm looking for! Gently swaying fronds of various poisonous or stabby plants wave through the air, along with dotted stone formations that extend mouths, or barbs, or barbed mouths out in order to feast on monsters that pass by. Along with general outcroppings of rock, the tunnels are starting to get quite busy, making it harder to spot... whatever it is I'm looking for.
Wait! I sense something!
To my mana sense it looks as if dust that had been floating through the air, suddenly comes together and darts behind a stone.
[I've seen it! It's like some dust that moves!]
[Dust?]
[Small particles. It was floating in the air and then came together into a ball and hid. Tiny, spark up a little more, we might be able to see it.]
Tiny grunts in response and the electricity becomes more intense, sizzling and cracking dangerously in the air. The heat in the tunnel begins to rise as the light glitters through the shadow strata. At first, I can't see anything.
[Crinis?]
[It's hard to detect. I feel as if it's everywhere and nowhere.]
[That doesn't sound good...]
I stare hard, using my mental faculties as well as my physical ones. I don't want to be taken by surprise down here in this sea of shadows. Who knows what might happen? More poisons, or death mana, or teeth from the shadows, or dodgy fast food. Who knows what horrors lurk in the darkness?
[Over there!]
I flick an antenna to the right, pointing to the slight movement I saw. Tiny and Crinis both turn quickly, just in time to watch a patch of dirt on the wall crawl together into a blob.
[What is it?] I wonder.
A small sound reaches my ears then, as if a tiny vibration were rocking the tunnel. The small hairs that cover my antennae stand on end and I turn to look at the tunnel walls on the other side. All around us, the walls are shaking as what had appeared to be a layer of dark dirt comes to life and starts to gather together.
[It's all around us!] I holler at the others.
[Master! I can sense it now. It's huge!]
I can too. For dozens of metres in front of us as well as dozens behind, my mana sense is flaring as whatever this is begins to literally pull itself together from its disparate parts.
"ROOOOAAR!" Tiny bellows, smashing his chest with his mighty fists, his eyes burning with rage.
Finally, a decent fight, he seems to be saying as he snarls, his fangs on display. Lightning surges even thicker across his body and begins to accumulate on his fists as all around the walls continue to crawl and shift. The dust gathers together into small blobs that then begin to seek each other out and merge. Rapidly, bodies are forming all over the place but my mana sense is telling me that this is one creature. All the mana I sense from it is exactly the same.
Not willing to wait, Tiny leaps forward and smashes his charged fist into one of the blobs, scattering it with explosive force. The disparate pieces splat into a nearby wall before they quiver and begin to move once more. Tiny shakes his fist, unsatisfied, and turns to another blob to blast it with lightning. Twin streaks of blue energy shatter the air and the blob is vaporised in a moment. To my mana sense, I can see that not all of the dust was destroyed, but at least some of it was. As if sensing that it can be harmed, the dust surrounding us begins to amalgamate more quickly.
You hurt it Tiny, keep going!]
The ape grins.
-x-X-x-
Lightning crackles through the air as Tiny unleashes his full arsenal. His fur floats in the air as he positively writhes with snaking lightning. It curls around his arms, sparks of his ears and runs down his huge silver back. As the creature continues to coalesce around us, Tiny begins to blast lightning from his fists. Every time he swings his mighty hands a spear of lightning would fly out and annihilate one of the blobs. They scatter and begin to form once more, but each time a little smaller than they had been before.
Even so, dozens of clumps are still forming, each one now the size of a person. It's creepy as heck. These things pulse and shift all around us, on the ceiling, the walls and the floor of the tunnel in front of us and behind. Just when I start to wonder how the monster is supposed to attack us, the closest blob flexes, changing its shape and revealing a mouth ringed with razor sharp barbs.
[Look out! Mouths!]
I step backwards but Crinis has already acted, lashing out with her tentacles to seize the offending shape. Her limb wraps around the blob and tightens, crushing it in an instant. It doesn't seem to slow the monster down though, as the individual particles begin to gather once more.
[It's on me!] Crinis cries and I realise that the dust which had stuck to her tentacle was slowly creeping its way towards her main body. [Get off of me you filth!] she roars and whips the coated limb through the air, flicking the dust offensive dust away.
[Tiny's hurting it, but not enough. Do you think we should run for it?] I call to my pets.
"ROOAR" Tiny bellows, his face alight with glee as he blasts out electricity everywhere in the tunnel.
[How dare you touch me you traaaaash!] Crinis screams as he tentacles begin to fly in all directions, scattering the blobs around the tunnel.
Ooookay. So no tactical retreat? It doesn't look like it's possible at any rate. In front of us, and behind, the blobs in the distance had merged together to block the tunnel. Before me lay a pulsating wall formed from the dust particles and the same scene lay behind me. As I watch, the wall shifts and a huge bulge protrudes, taking the shape of a circular mouth, massive in scale, with the needle like barb teeth.
What the heck is this monster?! My mana sense is telling me that the monster is all around me, as if I were already in its stomach. The feeling isn't great. And if I'm not mistaken, the more time passes, the faster the thing is able to move. As if it's waking up, or perhaps the more its able to bring itself together, the more control it has over its body.
Movement is everywhere, mouths and teeth are starting to protrude from every direction, faster than Tiny and Crinis can destroy them. I'm frozen by indecision. How do you fight something like this? Biting won't work! I don't think gravity magic will work. I could hose it down with water, will that do anything?! Should I try and connect to its mind? I just don't know!
Seconds pass as I try to settle on a plan of attack but the decision is taken out of my claws as the yawning mouths extend to try and consume me. My antennae blaze with warnings of attacks coming from all sides and my nervous system lights up like a Christmas tree. Without having any time to think, my reflexes fire, informed by my defensive Skills. I dodge two bites and allow another to scrape across the tough armour of my carapace on my side. I flinch in pain as the teeth gouge into my exoskeleton. These teeth are something special, yikes! I'll need to be careful.
And to make things better, the giant formations that block the tunnel in front and behind have begun to advance on us, attempting to squeeze us in the middle. Come on, Anthony! There has to be something you can do! Gritting my mandibles so tight they grind against each other, I shunt control of the healing mana construct to one of my weaker sub-brains. It's going to push that mind pretty hard but this will free up resources.
I don't think water is going to work on this monster and I don't want to take a chance on mind magic. Tiny's lightning was able to burn away small chunks of the creature, maybe fire will help? I quickly throw up the menu and buy the Fire Mana Affinity Skill as my two free sub-brains start to throw together the fire construct. It takes precious seconds to puzzle out the unfamiliar shape, time I don't have.
[Tiny! Time to go all out! Crinis, you too!]
Tiny's been having the time of his life. He's been blasting out wave after wave of electricity out of his fists at every blob he can see. Anything that comes close to him he scatters with his hands directly. Every blast of lightning illuminates the savage grin that twists his features and reveals the fiery light in his eyes. At my words he howls bright and pours out the last of his reserve of lightning filling the air with chittering sparks that fly in all directions.
From her place on my back, Crinis expands to her full size, her mouth opening to reveal the void she carries inside, ringed with teeth. Dozens of tentacles extend rapidly to fill the tunnel, the thick limbs whipping through the air so fast they blur to slap and tear at the dust wherever she can reach it. It slows them down, a little. The individual pieces of the creature continue to lunge toward us and I rely on my defensive skills to dodge or deflect their bites, whereas Tiny and Crinis slap the enemy away more directly.
As fast as the pieces are scattered, they come together. The entire tunnel is full of the beast now, no walls, floor or ceiling, only congealing and amassing mouths that gnash and leer at us from all sides. The situation is looking grim as the fire mana construct snaps into place and I immediately feed mana into it. My antennae twitch and my limbs fire as the mouths descend from all sides. It looks as if the tunnel is collapsing as darkness fills my vision on all sides.
Omen Chomp!
The dark, ethereal mandibles punch a hole in one side as I leap through it, the rest of the teeth scraping on my carefully angled armour. I activate my mediation skill in an attempt to push away the chaos that threatens to wash away my calm. Take the fire mana, shape it, quickly.
It glows a deep red and my minds seize upon it, weaving it and shaping it. The knowledge of basic fire magic has been trickling into my brain since I purchased the skill and I grasp onto a shape that I know well. The water cannon spell, it has an equivalent here, and hopefully it works the way I want it to.
The monster is all around me know, visibility is gone. I hear Tiny bellow and roar from nearby and Crinis the crunching sound of Crinis slamming her limbs into the rock echoes from above as I weave my spell.
[Duck!] I cry.
A torrent of fire erupts from in front of my face, so bright and so hot that my eyes and antennae flare with pain. Actual light and heat! I didn't realise how much I'd missed it down here! Greedily I feed mana from my core into the fire magic construct, taking hold of the magic and pouring it into my spell.
As the first tongues of flame lick against it the creature unleashes an ear splitting shriek! The form that presses in all around me shudders as I direct the fire to burn it. Fire was a good choice! It's super effective!
-x-X-x-
The monster thrashes this way and that as I pursue it with my flame thrower. Ha! This feels awesome! I didn't realise how cold I was until I had an enormous fire exploding from right next to my face. Whoops! Need to be careful not to singe the antenna! I snatch my two sense organs back before they dip dangerously low into the jet of flame. Mana flows out of my core at a fast pace, but I'm absorbing plenty of energy through my feet. Interestingly the dark attributed mana of the strata is what's sucked through my legs, but when it arrives at my core it's changed back to pure, unattributed mana. My suspicion is that the core is unable to accept any type of mana other than clean, untainted energy.
Luckily, my reserves are being replenished just as fast as they are being expended, which means, thanks to the hard work of my two sub-brains, I can keep this flame thrower going forever! Gweheheheh!
Burn baby, burn!
I leap left and right, blasting the monster all around with the jet of flame as its shrieks and cries pierce our ears. All around us the creature shudders as the fire incinerates its strange body. Roast you uppity monster! Be burned by the flames of your own gumption! Also by me. I don't want you to think that I'm not part of this situation, I absolutely am. And I'm taking a great deal of joy in it.
Fire does appear to be the creatures Achilles heel. The body that we struggled to damage effectively before has now become kindling, quite literally ash in the wind. Everywhere the fire touches the monster melts away, the air filling with the scent of burning flesh.
After ten more seconds, the monster has had enough. The blobs are all shifting away from us, revealing the stone and soil of the tunnel that had been concealed beneath. Far more sprightly than it was when it had first awoken, the creature still isn't very quick. Luckily for us.
[Don't let it go, guys! We need to destroy it, seize its core and feast on its Biomass!]
[Agreed!]
[Harrr!]
Still fired up (heh), my pets are eager to chase down the creature as it attempts to flee. Gleefully keeping my flamethrower active, we chase one half of the monster down the tunnel in the direction we came from. After roasting it all to pieces, we turn around and race to catch up with the other half, still busily glooping its way down the tunnel. Burn sucka!
[You have slain level 41 Venator Atramento.]
[You have gained experience.]
[You have reached level 15. One skill point awarded.]
Take that! You want to ambush us? Want to feast on this incredible diamond hide? No chance! MUAHAHAHAA!
There isn't much left of the monster after I'm done burning it to a crisp. What's left doesn't look particularly appetizing either. What had originally appeared to be tiny specks of dust are actually little bloblets, more fluid than dirt. Each individual piece is a tiny drop of shadow flesh that somehow the creature is able to spread out and control even if there is no connection to its main body. This is something I've not seen before, it was certainly creepy as heck. All that remains is gloopy, wet looking mess of Biomass that we reluctantly chow down on.
[Venator Atremento, Ink Hunter (V). This monster uses its ability to disperse its body to prey upon unsuspecting victims. Extremely difficult to defeat through physical violence, the creature has a fearsome ability to prey on those weaker than itself.]
Oh, I'm sure. When it picks on someone stronger it gets cooked and eaten! The Biomass proves to be quite rich as well. There isn't as much as we'd like but we share it out. The final surprise comes when we get to the end of our meal.
[Compatible rare core detected. Would you like to absorb it, or reconstitute the monster?]
Hmm. I think we can hold onto this for later. I let Tiny keep the core. He stashes it somewhere in his fur, I'm not sure exactly how, one moment it's in his giant hand, then he reaches up to an armpit and the core is gone. Whatever, I'll take it. The creature was actually tier five? Interesting. I guess that explains how weird it was. If it had been tier two or three, I'd be terrified of what it would look like after a few more evolutions.
After resting briefly, we continue our journey through this branch tunnel. Funnily enough there aren't many other monsters around this section of tunnel, probably preyed upon by our friend the hunter. In short order we make our way back to the main tunnel and I decide that we'll stick to one side and follow it. The tunnel continues to shift downward but at the same time we are descending, we are trending in the direction of the colony. Once we get back to underneath it, I plan to rise up the tunnels, scout out the lay of the land and reconnect with my family. This way I can hunt out any threats and do the heavy lifting for the colony as they start to take on the second strata.
After a few tough fights and a whole heap of easy ones. I think we're ready to see what this Strata really has to offer. I want to get into an expanse, see what we can see. We continue our journey for another day. We had to shift off to a side tunnel and carve out a space in order to rest. The sweet embrace of torpor was most welcome to me, and I rested secure in the knowledge that Crinis was watching over me.
Naturally I had to top Tiny off before I could rest, and then again the moment I awoke. The invasive mana is still rampaging through his body, causing damage constantly. My healing skills have improved thanks to the constant exertion but not yet enough to increase the rank of the skill, the only thing I can think might help me remove it. Regardless, refreshed and ready we continue our travels, fighting when we need to and carefully avoiding the many forms of venomous plants that are becoming more and more common.
After another six hours of delving there's a notable change to the feel of the mana in the air. Our tunnel has curved this way and that but always sloping downward. I've noticed a few tunnels coming together, merging and I suspect that I know why. Carefully, with all senses attuned, we advance and it isn't long before the tunnel floor drops away, the ceiling rises impossibly high and a vast, open space of incredibly dense dark mana yawns before us like an underwater ocean.
This... is not what I expected.
-x-X-x-
The expanse before me is truly deserving of that name. It's impossibly vast. How the heck can such a space exist underground? Is this planet even stable? I start to become nervous about the ground beneath my feet. All of this is possible with mana, be cool Anthony. Magic planet is magically stable despite being hollow like a piece of Swiss cheese.
My eyes aren't able to penetrate the dense Shadow mana before me, visibility is only twenty metres at best. But to my mana sense, I can trace the veins that line the walls as they rise, and rise, and rise above my head, and fall the same way below my feet. The space in between just feels... empty.
[Well. We found our first expanse guys. Let's head on down and see what we can see. Surely there's more to it than this.]
With Crinis riding on my back and Tiny climbing beside me we begin to make our way down the wall. It's steep and my increased size doesn't make life easy. I really need to continue to level up my grip skill if I want to be able to climb like this. I firm my resolve. It's time to go back to climbing on the ceiling, or at least the wall, as much as I can. The skill seems to level up faster now that I'm heavier, so I'll hopefully see some progress pretty quick.
Down we climb. The stone and rock is ice cold beneath my claws, much like the air around us. Insects don't like the cold much, ants are known to hibernate in winter, entire colonies going dormant and hanging out in their nests, waiting for warm weather to return. I have to admit that I feel a sluggishness that creeps into my limbs. But my Will is strong and I fight it off. It's going to take more than cold to slow this ant down.
Holy shadow mackerel! What is this I can sense? Out in the open space, above my head I can sense a gigantic lifeform twisting through the air. No wait, not twisting. It's swimming? Seriously? The monsters' mana is dense and powerful, a strong core is definitely found in the heart of this beast. Not that I'm super tempted to fight it or anything, I can't even see it! It turns back on itself like an enormous snake, or elongated whale before it speeds away, vanishing at the edge of my perception.
If I had lungs I'd let out a tense breath. Yikes! That is one heck of a monster! Well, there must be more stuff here, since there's no way a creature could evolve to that kind of size without feeding on something. A heap of something! Hopefully we can avoid whatever the heck it was until we learn a little more.
[Crinis, did you get a good look at that creature?]
[Yes, Master. It looked strong.]
Tiny immediately turns his head towards us before snapping it up to the air. He peers into the dark but quickly becomes frustrated, his ears twitch as his irritation builds.
[You can't fight it anyway you moron! It basically flies, you can't reach it!]
He growls, his ears drooping in disappointment.
[I'm going to 'forget' to heal you one of these days,] I threaten him.
A wide grin splits his face and he flexes his arms impressively at me, disregarding my anger. I can't help but chuckle at his antics. It's hard to stay mad at him.
[The monster was very large, and strong. But that isn't all, I sensed strong magic in it.]
[What is shadow? Or poison?]
[No, it was Death.]
[Well, butts.]
Death aligned creatures are just ... no. The rabbit was bad enough, I don't want to deal with some undead sea leviathan of darkness! No part of that sounds good! But I'm not willing to turn back. Whatever challenges we face, we'll smash through directly. What sort of ant shirks hard work?
Ignoring the fact that I am avoiding my work at the colony right this moment, we continue to descend and after thirty more minutes of claw cramping wall climbing, I notice the wall is starting to curve toward level. What's more I can sense, rather than see, large obstructions rising from below. As we get closer I can see that they are massive versions of the tiny corals and vegetation that we were able to see in the tunnels outside. More climbing reveals that these corals climb almost a hundred metres into the open air above, rising from the dark soil of the expanse floor that finally comes into view.
The scale of this place is really hurting my head. I think it might be as much as a kilometre high, maybe even more. It's difficult to say, I can neither see nor sense that far, but if we assume that we entered the expanse at roughly the vertical halfway mark, then a kilometre sounds about right. Which feels insane, but I'm going to suppress my Earth logic. This is Pangera, there's magic for goodness' sake. What's a giant evolving ant monster to say this would be impossible?
When we reach the bottom, it's a surprising scene that we see before us. Thick and tall fronds wave to the movement of a wind or current that only they can feel. Enormous corals tower taller than trees and form an elaborate maze of tangled stone that looks impossible to navigate. It feels like a reef for titans, but instead of a riot of bright colours the palette is flat and grey. The leaves are dark, almost black and the corals are muted whites, as if bleached. Here and there I can detect life, monsters, flicking in the gaps, feasting on the plants or on each other. And somewhere above the leviathan swims, perhaps with other creatures that treat this world of shadow as a vast ocean.
Alright Anthony, time to get your game face on. Let's shake it out. I flex each of my six legs and rattle my body to try and loosen any kinks in the system. Brain check. All of the brains appear to be on task and working hard. Central sub-brain is in control of the healing construct, left sub-brain is healing Tiny up, right sub-brain is practicing external mana manipulation. Main mind is checking on the others. Nice. Stamina feels good, Skills are locked and loaded, core is full and mana gland is topped off. We're ready, we're pumped up.
Finally, we're going to be let loose in a hunting ground that's close to our level. No more pesky experience penalties or Biomass reductions! When I think of the Skill level ups and mutations that await us my mouth starts gnashing at the air uncontrollable. My thirst for adventure is unquenchable! My appetite for levels can never be sated!
[Tiny? Crinis? You ready to head in?]
In response, Tiny just nods and grins. Crinis lifts herself from my back and begins to crawl forward, supported by her tentacles.
[Master, I suggest you allow me to go first. I'm better suited to the scouting role here.]
[Well, I have to admit that you're right. Lead the way Crinis. Just make sure you don't take all the prey for yourself!]
[I wouldn't dream of it, Master!]
[I'm sure.]
-x-X-x-
Commander Titus was a stoic man with a reputation for an Iron will and an unbreakable sense of duty. And it was true, he'd lived a hard life and had made hard choices without hesitation. Where others would shirk their responsibilities, Titus shouldered his burden with pride. For this, he was both loved and respected. The commander knew his reputation and did his best to live up to it. Square shoulders and a stern countenance were synonymous with Titus, as if his face and body had been carved from granite.
But if there was one thing that could push him to the edge of cracking, it was the person he saw coming toward him now.
The Legion had marched hard back to Railleh as the wave had waned and the shocking news of Garralosh's demise spread. The Legionaries had been in dire need of rest, but not all were able to receive it. As the technical crews, smiths and enchanters laboured long to repair worn weapons and armour, scouting parties had been dispatched to ascertain the environment within the Bulwark. Messages were sent to every outpost, ritual spells of communication were enacted to reach out to the wider Legion network and now they awaited word from their superiors.
With the wreckage of their homes weighing on their minds, Titus and his troops had been unable to rest. After the centurions had found the third party attempting to escape the barracks and venture to the surface, Titus had considered relenting and allowing a team to establish an outpost on the surface. When the fourth escape party had contained a good number of centurions, Titus finally gave the order that he himself would lead a full column to the surface. All advanced gear was left behind, only leathers and basic weaponry allowed. The soldiers were eager to be away.
Despite their victory in the lines, the soldiers' mood was grim. They knew roughly what awaited them above. A ruined city, a destroyed nation. How many of their loved ones had survived the slaughter? They pushed hard and Titus marched at their head, as relentless and unyielding as a stone. The Legionaries stuck to the main paths, as direct as they could be. What monsters they found were ruthlessly crushed.
On the fourth day, as they were climbing up the main tunnel, they'd heard footsteps coming down. Titus raised a fist, then pointed to his left and right. Immediately archers had moved to covered positions along the walls of the tunnel as shield bearing legionaries formed up beside him. There they had waited as the sounds of approach grew louder. Humans, by the sound of things, a small group, ten or less.
Titus' ears were far from normal. At his level, with his skills and class benefits, he was barely the same species as those who dwelt on the surface. He could clearly hear the footfalls of those approaching, though they were still two hundred metres away. He could make out the tone of their voices, almost the words as well. Then he heard a woman speak, harsh, cutting, and the other voices grew quiet, their steps more careful.
Titus nearly dropped his axe. He knew that voice, would recognise that wasp tongue whenever he heard it. It was all he could do not to break ranks and run forward. To the soldiers around him it merely appeared as if he grew as still as a winter pond.
Ears strained hard, Titus held himself back as the other group came into view. When they did, his eyes narrowed. Farmboys and merchants' daughters with shoddy gear, no levels and little training. In normal times he'd roll them up, smack their heads and boot them out of his Dungeon, but these were not normal times, and the hard faced woman in stout leathers leading them demanded his attention.
Her name was on his lips but he dared not call it out, lest his will break and he ran to his daughter. He wouldn't stand for such a break of decorum, besides, if he tried Morrelia might just punch him. She wasn't one for public displays of affection.
"Is that Morr? Morrelia! Hey! Longtime no see!" A male voice called out.
CRACK!
The stone beneath Titus' feet shattered into dust, sending of cloud of stone chips flying in all directions. Shouts of alarm and confusion arose but Titus himself hadn't moved, instead he remained at ease, his hands clasped behind his back and his axe strapped across his shoulders.
To one side, Donnelan cursed his own stupidity. How could he be so careless as to call out to Morrelia in front of the commander? It was well known that the legendary commander of stone doted on his daughter, even if he never let it show. The young Mage felt ice cold sweat rolling down his back as he felt as if he were grasped in a giant fist. He prayed that his voice hadn't stood out too much and wasn't recognised, otherwise death might come for him!
Indeed, Titus had recognised Donnelan, and his mind seethed with the torturous drills he would put the Legionary through the moment they got back. As she approached the Legion force, Morrelia couldn't help but sigh. She'd hoped to run into her father and her former comrades here, but it was awkward. And she knew exactly what Titus was thinking about at this moment. Some things never changed.
The Legionaries waited patiently as the smaller villager force approached. When they drew close enough, Morrelia stepped forward as the representative and moved to greet the Legionaries. The villagers themselves were quite overawed. The legendary Abyssal Legion lived up to its reputation. To these people's eyes, despite the glorious victory they'd achieved, these soldiers looked like heroes, returning to the surface after defeating who knows what horrors in the deep.
"Commander Titus," Morrelia greeted her father.
"Daughter," he returned, rejecting the formal tone she attempted to set.
He saw his daughter's eyes narrow at that and he felt his heart swell with pride. She was as stubborn as he was. She'd taken more after him, less like her mother. It was a curse and blessing.
-x-X-x-
"Morr, you seem well."
"Father, you seem to be in good health also. Not that I should be so surprised."
Titus, frowned.
"What is that supposed to mean."
Morrelia rolled her eyes.
"Only that you're basically unkillable up here. Other than Garralosh, what monster could possibly harm you in the first or second strata?"
Perhaps it was foolish, but Titus still felt pride that his daughter recognised his strength. In his mind, she was still the little girl who would follow at his heels, striking fiercely at his back with wooden training swords. She was a warrior born, a lion cub, ready to be a legionnaire from the moment she opened her eyes.
"I'd never seen you happier, than you began your training. You had a fire in you then, you were like an inferno. Everyone was warmed by your zeal," Titus said wistfully.
Morrelia looked up at the commander, confused.
"It's unlike you to reminisce about the past, father." She chuckled a little bitterly. "We both know that to be a legionary was everything I'd ever wanted, to follow you and mother into service. And we both know why I left. That's history now."
Titus cocked an eyebrow.
"You're barely into your twenties, far too young to be talking about history." His voice softened. "We would have you back. At any time. Just say the word and I'll make it so."
"That's against regulations. I'm a deserter!"
"Damn the regulations. You are my daughter. If the Legion wouldn't have you then I'd quit myself."
Morrelia's eyes widened and she dragged her father away from the crowd toward one side of the cavern. The Legionaries, disciplined and reserved, had not batted an eye at their commanders words and the villagers had been too far away to overhear them. But how could she allow the commander, the hero of the Legion in Liria, to speak such words out loud.
"Watch what you say!"' She hissed. "If the people found out you would abandon them..."
"What people?" Titus asked. "Tell me truly, daughter, what is left above ground? Is there any kingdom left? Do not doubt this, even if every one of them were still alive, I would put you first."
Tears sprung up in Morrelia's eyes.
"Why are you saying this now? Has something changed?"
Titus shrugged his broad shoulders, his stony countenance as unreadable as ever.
"Things are moving Morr. There's change in the Dungeon, I can feel it. First this wave, then Garralosh getting killed. I don't know what, and I don't know why, but I have a feeling that things are going to get messy. I want you to be safe."
"I can take care of myself."
"I know you can. But I don't know what's coming. This old man would rather you were close by, where I can help if you get into trouble. It's a father's right to worry for his child."
Morrelia gripped the hilts of her two blades as she stared up at Titus.
"There's more, isn't there? What aren't you telling me?"
Titus stifled a sigh and turned to look back at the Legionaries assembled and waiting for him in the centre of the tunnel.
"With the kingdom gone, and the lizard dead, there's no reason for the legion to maintain the Bulwark. It's costly in blood and coin, the high command will be eager to move those resources elsewhere."
As she realised what he was saying, Morrelia's eyes widened.
"You mean...?"
Titus nodded.
"I think they're going to call us in. Open the gateway and bring us to the Black Castle."
"Mother." Tears threatened to spill over but Morrelia controlled herself and blinked them away.
"Yes, daughter. You would be able to see her again. I must say, it'll be nice to see my wife again after all this time."
"Not that I could tell, looking at your face," Morrelia laughed.
It was true, even now Titus maintained his usual, stern demeanour.
"You don't have to join again if you don't want to, you can just come with us."
"There's no way they would allow that! A non-Legionary at the seat of their power?"
"Don't underestimate what your mother will allow in order to see your face again. You're the only one we have left."
"But ..." Morrelia hesitated, "The people here, they need my help."
"Tell me," Titus said.
Morrelia told him of the survivors, and their growing town. She told him of the daring rescue mission she launched with the aid of a 'mysterious mage' and his pets. That even now people were flowing into the town.
"I never trusted mysterious mages," Titus grunted, "handsome is he, this fellow?" The commander's eyes narrowed as he imagined some perfumed fop in silks with books leering around his daughter.
"Anthony? No." Morrelia laughed. "I would say that he's quite hideous in fact. I don't think he's anything like what you're imagining."
Titus relaxed a fraction.
"That's good then." He shrugged ever so slightly. "You don't have to make your decision right now. Think about it. Come and talk with us. I'm sure you have some old friends you could catch up with. I should go and have a word with a few of your people as well. Not that I don't trust you mind, just to maintain friendly relations."
For some reason, his daughter appeared mildly worried by that, but she nodded, even if it was a touch reluctant. Titus was a bit offended. Did she think he was so charmless he couldn't avoid scaring a few farmers? He clapped his daughter on the shoulder and gave her a gentle shove toward the Legion ranks before he turned to walk toward the gathered villagers.
Morrelia cursed a little under her breath. Her fathers' version of 'gentle' and any normal humans were a long way apart. She'd gained a few levels since she'd left the Legion, spent most of her time delving and fighting, but she was still a mile away from reaching his ridiculous strength. What would it take!? Grumbling, she walked towards the Legionaries and began to spy out some familiar faces.
"Greetings good people," Titus began his charm offensive. "I must apologise for the Legion being unable to defend you in person, I understand you have suffered much. Rest assured, we did all we could in the tunnels below to prevent an even worse tragedy unfolding."
Even as he said it he knew it wasn't enough. What did it matter to these people that the Legion had fought, bled and died in the tunnels whilst their homes had been destroyed and their family members consumed by rampaging monsters? He'd be lucky if they didn't spit in his face. He was prepared to take it. It was the least he could do for failing to protect them.
To his surprise, they simply nodded. A middle aged man clutching a simple spear stepped forward and bowed clumsily.
"It's ah, nice to meet you commander. We've heard a lot about you. We was provided for, in the end. Maybe it was fate, or destiny, but the Great One gave us shelter and showed us the way forward."
Great one? Perhaps the mage Morrelia had mentioned.
"Morrelia spoke of this, Anthony. A mage of some power I understand. I hope he's not spending too much time with my daughter." Titus half joked, his eyes narrowing a fraction.
The villager blanched.
"Oh no sir, the Great One is busy helping his family most of the time."
The man had a family? Even better.
"No sir, it's Isaac who's pesterin' her. Proposes every day from what I hear."
Stone shattered and exploded in every direction as the tunnel became filled with a dense murderous intent and invisible pressure that weighed on everyone like a ton of bricks.
"What," Titus said, "was that name again?"
-x-X-x-
It doesn't take long before the sheer, overwhelming darkness wears me down. I can't take it anymore! I've had it! I've had it right up to the tips of my antennae! Through constant use, my mana sense is improving, but too slowly to satisfy my need for sweet and tender sensory input. Therefore, I decide to push my minds even harder and craft up a fire mana construct. Now one of my weaker sub-minds is maintaining the healing mana construct, the other the fire construct and the more powerful sub-mind is alternating operating the two in order to keep Tiny's health topped off and provide fire mana for me to produce some damn light! Having to upkeep the constructs is hard for the sub-brains, right on the edge of their capabilities and it won't be long until they start to ache under the strain. Whatever, they'll just have to toughen up.
The spell is simple enough, thank goodness, much less demanding than the flame thrower. The end result is a ball of fire that sits a metre above my head. With concentration, I'm able to move it around and I can feed it more mana in order to increase the intensity of the light. Of course, there are drawbacks. The heat source so close to my antennae makes them light up and constantly blast me with the strong signal, like having a powerful smell right under your nose all the time. It's not a bad smell, just strong, and constant. The other issue is, although my compound eyes that face forward are now able to see something, those pointing straight at the flame are constantly blasted by the light which, here in this lightless realm, is freakin' bright!
After ten minutes of it my eyes grow so sore that I ask Crinis to intervene. With care, she's able to extend a few slender tentacles to form a bridge above my eyes that shields them from direct light. The very first pair of ant sunglasses has been invented! Sort of...
With these actions we are finally a little more comfortable to explore the expanse, which, to be honest, is extremely creepy. The tangle of overgrown corals are like gigantic roots made of stone that have woven together to form a three dimensional maze dozens of metres high. Under the light the endless nooks and hollows flicker with shadows that seem to hint of tunnels and openings that fade to nothing as we draw closer. And there's monsters here. Lots of them. We don't see much of them, but I can hear them and sense their mana as they duck and dart through this place with speed and grace where we trudge through like snails.
I swear, if I don't find and chomp one of these creatures soon and I'm going to start going wild on these corals. The only thing holding me back is the suspicion that they might all collapse down on my head were I to try. Crinis seems perfectly happy here, riding on my back and soaking in the thick mana that matches her affinity perfectly. Tiny shares my irritation. Being close to my own size, he shares my struggle to navigate the narrow openings we squeeze through.
Just when I think I can't take it anymore, I poke my head through a gap between two rival corals and notice there's a clearing ahead with some actual open space! At last! Even better, it's full of monsters to fight!
[Tiny! Crinis! Something to do! Let's crack in!] I cheer as I charge forward and out into open air. Because naturally we were ten metres off the ground at this point.
I can't make myself care about it. I slam into the ground, my legs straining under the pressure, releasing unpleasant popping sounds. Thankfully, they don't break. In front of me is what appears to be a nest of some sort of crab monster. They've created a depression in the floor of the expanse, carving out the floor until it resembles a bowl. Smaller crabs skitter about, startled by our descent but in the main the crabs are big and nasty looking.
Instead of crab legs they have slippery tentacles that support their hard, shell covered bodies. Their faces are a mass of writhing polyps tipped with dripping limbs, making them resemble a cluster of sea anemone more than anything else. I pump more mana into my fire light to study the creatures better and they flinch back from the flame. I don't believe they have eyes, but I think the heat scares them. Nonetheless, the larger and more powerful looking specimens come forward to shape up to us. Flexing claws filled with narrow spikes that weep a dark black fluid.
It's always toxins down here. It's starting to get annoying. I have the remove poison spell, but I'd like to have more protection against it. My carapace has been the best defence so far, since the monsters have a hard time penetrating to inflict their nastiness on me, but if they happen to get through, I want to be able to resist. If I open up my menu and find poison resistance that I haven't purchased I'm going to be super irritated.
[Tiny! Try not to get poisoned! I want you to hit 'em with lightning and stay light on those twinkle toes of yours. Got it?]
[Hrrn] he nods, reluctant.
Playing defensive isn't his style, but he's going to have to cope with it for the time being. If he's careful he can still get his swings in.
[Crinis, go wild.]
[I will, Master.]
[Let's do it!]
Full of vigour, I charge toward the mass of crabs, my mandibles flexing with anticipation. The larger crabs are big boys, as tall as I am with plenty of mass behind them. No way they aren't tier four. They don't back down and came rushing forward on their tentacle legs to meet us, their faces writhing in a disgusting manner.
Let's see if your shell is able to match up to this!
Omen Chomp!
Like the manifestation of an angry god, the two dark jaws manifest and slam shut in time with my own, catching the crab metres in front of me and with a massive CRUNCH, its shell begins to crack under the pressure. The crab falls back into its allies, arms swinging wildly and I step back a little to create space. I only need a little room to raise my rear end high and unleash my acid!
POW! POW! POW! POW!
I blast out four quick shots, not aiming at anything specific but just hoping to cause a little chaos. Tiny has had to heed my orders and rather than leap into the middle of the thick cluster of crustaceans he dances along the edge, powerful arms swinging and delivering powerful shocks to everything he hits.
This of course makes me the focus of attention and it isn't long before more crabs slither around their injured comrade to surround me. Luckily I have an anti-surround weapon on hand, which I call Crinis. Tentacles explode from the ball on my back, snatching up crabs left and right. A second after she grabs one the air becomes filled with the high pitch screech of her barbs scratching away at the dense shells. Desperate to free themselves, the crabs start to snap at her limbs with their claws, tearing and ripping them as much as they can. Some crabs are able to free themselves, with help, but others aren't as lucky. With their outer defences broken, the poor creatures are as weak as I myself would be and quickly fall.
Come on crabs. I'm still hungry!
-x-X-x-
I hope these crabs taste good, after all the nasty monsters we've had to eat on the second Strata so far, I'm hoping that they live up to the reputation of Earth crabs for being delicious. I suppose I need to finish the fight first.
Omen Chomp.
CRUNCH!
Another crab reels, its shell cracking as slinters fly in all directions. The disgusting mass of anemone on its face roil and grasp for me but I'm already moving. My fast reflexes and future sense thrive in a situation like this. Monsters surround me on all sides but I'm able to move deftly with a speed that belies my large size. My synapses fire with incredible speed as I feel the monsters around me move. Claws reach for me, gross mouth parts seek to drill into me and in the midst of it all I shift my position with precision.
Angle the carapace here. Shift my legs now. Tilt my body to the left. Each movement presents a better angle, each time I step with my six legs, I'm able to dodge by a hair. They strike my carapace repeatedly. The sharp spines in the claws are damn sharp. Whenever they grab at me, they dig and chip into my hard shell, trying to inject their venom. So far, my carapace holds. Its' actually starting to give me a great sense of pride! How's that you damn crabs? Your shells are like nothing before us, but mine still holds strong! The ant reigns supreme yet again! MUAHAHAHAHA!
But if the fight drags on too long, they might put my endurance to the test. Although the Inner Carapace plating is doing its sweet work, I don't want to put it to the test, and I don't want to rely on my healing gland too much. I need to save it for replacing legs more than healing chips in my precious diamond carapace.
Even if they aggravate me!
Stupid crabs! Omen Chomp!
CRUNCH!
Gweheheheh. Enjoy that, you stupid crab! Although, I'm starting to get tired. Too many uses of the Omen Chomp in a row is a massive drain on the stamina, I'll have to shelve it for a moment to let myself recover. I'll have to do something to get these monsters off of me.
Solar flare!
I pump mana into my fireball and it blasts the clearing with light, chasing away the shadows and sending the creatures around me skittering back in fear. Nice! Since they fear the heat so much, I'll just have to give them an extra dose!
Using my main mind to shape the spell I draw out more fire mana and feed it into a basic bolt pattern. I'm familiar enough with this working that I can whip it out in seconds, even with the minor adjustments for the fire mana. Shortly, I have a rough and ready fireball ready to throw!
I blast it towards the closest monster and it reacts sharply, flinging up its claws to keep the hateful heat away from itself. Surprisingly the monster doesn't burn. I was kind of expecting it to light up like a candle but no such pyrotechnics take place. However, the crab definitely hates it. After absorbing the bolt with its claws, it begins writhing on the ground, out of the action. I'll take it.
I put my strongest sub-mind onto the task of spitting out firebolts and concentrate my efforts on biting, firing acid and making a general nuisance of myself as Tiny rips up the outside of the fight and Crinis works hard to keep the monsters from swarming me. Every firebolt puts a crab down, even without dealing fatal damage, they are easy pickings for a quick chomp.
Like this we rip through the clearing until the only monsters left were the smallest crabs, tier ones probably, scuttling away into the coral forest, slipping into gaps through which we can't hope to follow.
[Nice work team! Tiny, I'm impressed you did so well following directions, thanks to that you aren't dead! Crinis, nice support! You did great!]
I pat her with one of my antenna, causing her to freeze in place with joy. She's still working on that apparently.
We have claimed this clearing for the colony! Our first piece of territory in this expanse, indeed, in the entire second strata! Although I don't think we can claim it for long. I walk to the centre of the depression in the floor and right at the bottom there is a dense pool of mana. Spawn point. Explains why the crabs occupied this territory. Very normal behaviour for monsters with a base level of intelligence, so the Sophos told me. They like to grade monster intelligence based on a few simple behaviours. Apparently, the dumbest monsters usually are physically powerful roamers, wandering about smashing stuff until they either become too powerful to stop and take over an area, or more likely they get eaten when they run into something stronger.
Above them, you have pack hunters, creatures with some level of social behaviour in order to overcome relatively weaker individual strength. Above them, you have crude societal structures, like these crabs, or even the claw centipedes. At least smart enough to form a group around a spawn point and act together in mutual defence. Of course, higher than that you have things like my colony. Creatures capable of sophisticated social behaviours. Naturally higher than this is the monsters who begin to approach human intelligence. Alone or in groups, they're a much higher threat than anything else. According to the Sophos, monsters tend to get either smarter, or stronger, or both, the lower you go in the Dungeon. These crabs seem to be literal bottom feeders here in this expanse, which tells me that there are much stronger creatures we'll have to contend with.
It's kind of nice not to be top dog. After sensing that massive leviathan earlier, I'm quite sure that I'm not even close to the biggest and baddest monster down here. Which is exciting. A new challenge! A great feast! I can't wait.
For now. We need to count our gains from this crab harvest. I got quite a few skill ups. Omen chomp, healing mana, fire mana, defence. I even got a level! Quite the profitable fight! Hopefully Crinis and Tiny reaped an even greater reward.
Time to eat!
[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Allium Major Capsule (IV). One Biomass awarded.]
[Allium Major Capsule: Greater Claw Anemone (IV). A hybrid between a successful plant species and a crustacean archetype, the Greater Claw Anemone has a strong defence and multiple ways to apply deadly poison. Beware its mouth parts with are capable of tunnelling through flesh to consume its victims from within.]
Well that's horrifying. Also, the taste is awful. These crabs have made it onto my hit list.
-x-X-x-
The taste may be terrible, but the rewards are good. Ever since I was reborn in this Dungeon, the one thing that has remained constant, is my belief that level ups are delicious. With some Biomass under my belt and a little peace and quiet here in this clearing, it's an ideal time to take stock and mutate a little. A chance to fortify ourselves before we continue our mission of conquest.
[Alright then, squad. Time to mutate and upgrade anything you need to. We'll get it done before we set forth.]
[Alright, Master.]
[Uuoooo!]
Tiny's excited. Speaking of which, better heal him.
[Healing Magic Affinity has reached level 5.]
Oohhh. Nice! I can spend a point to upgrade that to the next level. Maybe it'll give me the secret medicine I need to rip foreign mana out of Tiny's body. In fact, I might as well go through all my skills right now. Be a little more thorough. There's a couple of things that have come a long way since I'd last gone through my full status. My core shaping skills that I practiced with the Sophos have levelled nicely. I've been continuing to train with every core we can spare, but mastering the fusion techniques has proven difficult. I'm certain I'll be able to get it, but it's going to take more time. My defensive skills are levelling at good pace, my mental skills also. I've had to spend a lot of skill points on upgrading recently, I never thought I'd ever run out. I still have ten in the bank, but that could disappear in a flash, especially if I try another skill fusion.
I've been considering, since I purchased the fire magic affinity, why not get all of the elemental affinities and aim for the fusion of all four? The elemental mastery skill sounds powerful. People usually don't go for it, since the time required to raise each of the skills to an appropriate rank is a drain. But with multiple brains on the job, I might be able to get there. I don't know when I'll finally get access to Gravity Magic Affinity, and elemental spells are proving more useful than I expected. May as well go for it. But not yet.
For now there's other business to be about. And what's that business? Mutation! Naturally! It's time for me to once again indulge in the love of carapace! I'm determined that the first thing to reach +25 is going to be my exo-skeleton! It couldn't possibly be anything else! But to go from +20 to +25 is going to take some serious Biomass. One hundred and fifteen smackers, just for this! For one upgrade! But for my precious Carapace, it's worth it!
The last upgrade took me from True Diamond Carapace, to Hardened True Diamond carapace, which further toughened the sections of carapace bonded to the tough diamond exterior. There's probably going to be a ton of options again, but I'm all in on diamond. I will be unbreakable!
[Would you like to upgrade Hardened True Diamond carapace to +25? This will cost 115 Biomass.]
Confirm it! Don't even talk to me about the cost.!
[At this level you may choose a mutation advancement, select from the menu.]
I won't be distracted! So many options, but I don't care! I rush through the menu searching for the upgrades that will further let me walk the path of shiny diamonds. Aha! Here it is!
[Complete Diamond Carapace. Expands the range of Diamond coating to cover the entire exo-skeleton.]
It's here! Finally the time when my entire exterior is coated with precious diamond! I don't know why but I've become addicted to feeling this expensive! To improve matters, this is going to remove the last weak points in my exterior! No more worrying about whether a stray stab is going magically stab straight through me. Now, all attacks must go through the full might of the diamond carapace!
Confirm it! Confirm it immediately!
HAGOOF!
It itches! It itches so bad! It starts strong and spreads so fast that my entire carapace feels like it's on fire in an instant. I can feel the sections of diamond coating spreading out to cover the last of me, crawling over my face, tracing the edges of my eyes and running up to the base of my antennae. I'm becoming encased! It's glorious!
When the itch fades away, I'm happy enough that I ignore the odd looks I get from Tiny and Crinis. There are a ton of other things that I could have upgraded first, but I'm glad I went through with the carapace mutation. I have the satisfaction that at least one body part is prepared for the next evolution. I only have 48 Biomass left. Enough to do a little bit of work with, but I'll leave it for now. At the end of the reflection session my status looks like this:
Name: Anthony
Level: 16 (Rare) (V)
Might: 91
Toughness: 79
Cunning: 64
Will: 45
HP: 158/158
MP: 250/250
Skills:
General:
Expert Excavation (III) Level 7; Expert Grip (III) Level 1; Advanced Stealth (II) Level 9; Tunnel Map (II) Level 9; Iron Mind (IV) Level 4; Expert Stamina (III) Level 9; Profound Meditation (III) Level 14; Flicker Dash (III) Level 9;
Mana:
Mana Transformation (III) Level 19; Condensed Mana (III) Level 10; Finer External Mana Manipulation (III) Level 9; Mana Coveter (III) Level 5; Expert Water Magic Affinity (III) Level 3; Empowered Mind Magic Affinity (III) Level 1; Expanded Mana Sensing (III) Level 6; Enhanced Healing Magic Affinity (II) Level 1; Fire Magic Affinity (I) Level 4;
Pet:
Distant Pet Communication (II) Level 5; Core Surgery (III) Level 14; Pet Growth Speed (I) Level 1;
Defensive:
Expert Exo-Skeleton Defence (III) Level 19; Advanced Dodge (II) level 2; Advanced Endure (II) Level 2; Grace (I) Level 4;
Offensive:
Deadly Acid Shot (III) Level 9; Expert Precise Shooting (III) Level 2; Omen Chomp (IV) Level 6;
Mutations:
Senses:
Perimeter Eyes +15, Future Sight Infrared Antennae +15,
Defence
Complete Diamond Carapace +25, Supportive Inner Carapace Plating +15,
Physical
Rapid Absorption Legs +15, Empowered Mandibles +15, Regrowth Regeneration Gland +15, Loquacious Pheromone Gland +15, Gluttonous Stomach + 15; Instant Twitch Musculature +10, Wide Gated Sub-Neural Network +10;
Acid:
Mana Binding Acid +15, Hyper Pressurised Acid Nozzle +10; Potent Acid Concentration Gland +10, Fatiguing Acid Stimulation Gland +10,
Mental:
Adaptable Coordination Cortex +15,
Mana:
Bottomless Gravity Magic Gland +15, Collective Will Vestibule +5;
Species: Juvenile Colony Paragon (Formica Sapiens)
Skill points: 10
Biomass: 48
[Alright guys! It's time to move out!]