Chapter 487 I feel potential here
The Biomass left behind by the demon was even less appetising in appearance than my usual fare, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave a juicy pile of Biomass on the floor. I need 'dem points! So I stuff my +25 stomach until the only remnant of that hideous demon is the rather large glowing core on the floor.
After my last match and I obtained the core of the Rhino I did what I usually do with such a core. I pushed my core surgery skill to the limit making edits that I felt made sense until it felt like making further changes was like shifting a brick wall with my eyeballs, then I absorbed it. Surprisingly enough, the monster had contained a rare core, pushing my MP higher by a good chunk. I still haven't maxed out my core for this evolution, so I've been spared the pain and discomfort of pushing my core beyond its limit so far.
But this core. This just might be what I'm looking for. The core is also rare, not surprising considering the sheer power of the monster. I could muck about with the core and then absorb it, but I feel that might be a waste of this opportunity! This monster is exactly what I want! Even the profile seems to suggest that this creature would be ideal for the pet I've been needing to fill!
[Luminare Daemon Invidia: Lesser Envy Demon, This Lesser Demon has shed it's base demonic shell and taken on the aspect of Envy. All Envy demons are supremely jealous and covet what they perceive others to have. To that end they are intensely insightful, able to see that which others would rather keep hidden, and use powerful mental abilities to dominate their opponents through magical combat.]
Even the brutally dominant magic user that I encountered was just the lesser variant?! And what does it mean by 'shed its base demonic shell'. It seems to suggest that a demon doesn't even count as a proper demon until they reach tier six?! My own colony members are considered fully fledged members when they reach tier three! And it's not like it's twice as tough to reach tier six as it is tier three, it's forty levels to get to tier three including core formation. It's three hundred and twenty to get to tier six! Monstrous!
Putting aside what life may be like in the Third Strata, the weak physical skills, lack of mobility and focus on pure spellcasting make this monster feel as if it doesn't belong on its own, flying solo. As part of a group, acting as a support caster? Perfection! Eager to investigate the possibilities to their fullest I bring my antennae down to touch the core and activate the core surgery skill. My mind is immediately flooded with the densely encoded biology of the demon.
Holy moly! Granin wasn't kidding when he told me that the creatures from the lower strata get access to some sweet goodies that I'd never clapped eyes on. Dimensional pocket?! They get their own little bag of holding in which to store their own guts! That explains the gizzard explosion when I finally finished the monster off... Still, that's only the beginning.
That sheer brain power was entirely contained within the one mind. No multiple brain shenanigans for this guy. The triad that managed him probably ensured that he'd be able to make full use of the mind construct technique to leverage those raw stats. It goes without saying that the demon has far higher mental stats than I do, whilst its physical stats are fully in tank mode. Some of these organs are just crazy. Eye of Envy? Allows the demon to see mental state and memories? Give me a break! That's a thing?! No wonder he was talking all that crazy talk. On the other hand, he's able to look inside and see exactly what support someone would need the instant they need it whilst using his creepy ability to apply devastating targeted mental magic.
The deeper I look, the more convinced I become. This little demon will make the perfect pet to round out my little gang. Without buying more pet related Skills I won't be able to have any more pets than three, but I don't need or want more than that. I'm starting to really feel the pinch in terms of resources to provide for the pets. The sheer number of cores, amount of experience and weight of Biomass required to keep them as strong as possible is getting hard to find. And that situation is only going to get worse. I need to make sure that I myself keep levelling and upgrading my mutations to keep pace with the threats I seem to continuously run into, which naturally takes away from what I can give my pets. Once I add this little demon to retinue, I think I'll have to stop.
[What are you doing, Anthony? Practicing your Core Surgery?] Torrina breaks into my thoughts.
[Ah. Actually no. I'm examining the core to see if the little demon will make a good pet to round out my group. I think it will fit quite nicely! I need a support type caster and this guy will fit the role admirably well when he manages to train up a few new skills.]
The Shaper stares at me for a moment before breaking out into a fit of laughter.
[What's so funny?] I ask.
[I'm just imagining the triad who raised this monster. They must have worked so hard. The painstaking effort to capture a demon and raise it all the way to tier six, training and guiding its development, only to have it lose to an ant. And then the ant takes all that hard work and turns it into a pet! I hope they never hear about it.]
[If anything, it's a compliment!] I defend myself. [They did a great job on this guy, his mutations, stats and organs work well together to create a powerful and insightful caster. He's perfect for what I have in mind.]
[You aren't wrong,] she agrees, [but have you considered that passing up on absorbing this core will mean that you'll be that little bit weaker for your next fight? Can you really afford to plan for the future right now?]
[I still think it's rubbish that I can't take pets into the fights,] I grumble, [I spent a lot of time and effort on my pets.]
[Whoever brought the most monsters would win. A competition of wealth is not in the interests of the Cult,] Torrina reminds me.
[I know,] I sigh. [Yes I know that the danger I'm in is very real, I only made it out of that last fight by the finest of margins after all. But if I throw away all of my long term goals to survive this tournament, what will I have left in the event that I do win? Nothing! I'll be worse off than when I started, having all of my paths to advance cut off.]
[In the end it's up to you. We're here to advise, nothing more. To be honest, I agree with what you're saying. It's one of the reasons that I agree with Granin on this tournament. Pushing monsters to fight or die forces short term thinking and corner cutting. An ancient won't be born in such conditions. The current ancients spent who knows how long growing into their strength.]
[Well said. Alright then, no point holding back, let's make this happen.]
Giving my full attention to the core, I bring my antennae forward and tap them onto the core.
[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]
Reconstitute!
Let the third and final pet be born!
The core immediately emits a blinding light as it melts down and takes on a new form. When the process is complete, a tiny eyeball with stunted, weakened wings slowly opens and looks up at me.
[Hey there little guy. Welcome to the team!]
-x-X-x-
A few hours later, Granin barges into the chamber and pushes past my ever watching triad of guards to climb down into my cell. When he reaches the bottom and sees me feeding a little mini-demon, he freezes for just a second before he bursts out laughing.
[You as well?] I complain.
[I mean - I just - ... Can you imagine their faces if they heard?]
Not this again. I'm almost starting to feel guilty.
[He's an incredible piece of work!] I point out defensively. [I didn't even need to do anything to change his core, just fiddled with his evolutions a little.]
[I know, I know.] Granin waves a hand. [I have to say I was pretty impressed they managed to raise a demon so well, it's notoriously difficult to do.]
That's intriguing. Now that I have a demon in my little group, I'm quite curious to learn more about them. The more I know about my team members, the better I'm able to support them.
[Why's that the case? Is it something to do with the basic shell mentioned in the profile?]
Granin nods.
[Demons are a bit of an oddity in the Dungeon. You can effectively think of them as being divided into two groups. The lower-tiered demons spawn as basically brainless, violent monsters who are even more bloodthirsty than your average beast. Sometimes they don't even eat what they hunt, just move onto the next battle to satisfy their bloodlust.]
[What a waste of perfectly good Biomass!]
[I know. As they evolve, they get stronger, but their basic instincts don't go away. All demons are capable magic users basically from birth, even those who focus on it and evolve down the path to becoming like our little friend here,] he gestures to the Envy demon, [get more adept with magic but are still enslaved by their instincts.]
[So they get smarter, but remain mindless killing machines?]
[Basically. They become more cunning killing machines.]
[The Third Strata sounds terrifying!]
[It is. But we aren't done yet.]
[There's more?!]
[Oh, yes. Once they reach tier six, the demons begin to take on aspects and transition to the second group. These are the upper demons. More powerful, more specialised and entirely in control of their instincts. Just as smart as the surface races, they have their own society down there and believe me when I say that it's brutal.]
[Waaaaait a second. You're telling me that when demons evolve enough, they 'graduate' into a fully formed demon society?]
This is shocking news!
[Indeed,] Granin confirms, [ruled over from far below by Arconidem the Demon Lord and author of the Red Truth. The Demon Cities are a massive threat to the civilised people of Pangera.]
[Wait, so you guys don't trade or interact with them in any way?]
[With demons? That's illegal. The penalty is death. The Abyssal Legion wages a constant war or the Demon Cities, trying to exterminate them entirely. To any delvers, the demons are a continual menace. They don't want us down there and hunt down any delvers they find like animals. Thankfully, they spend far more time fighting each other than they do us.]
[Why's that? Aren't they intelligent?]
Granin shrugs helplessly.
[They just like killing. Doesn't matter what it is. If you can't kill the demons in your own city, then the demons in the city next door are fair game. They might be able to control their urges, but that doesn't mean they don't enjoy indulging them. Be careful with your new friend there. He's not able to betray you, but you might find he gets a little erratic if you don't let him cut loose now and again.]
I look at my new pet. The mini-eyeball is quite adorable. He can't support himself on his wings just yet and has to 'walk' around on his little stick-thin arms. When I try to feed him a tiny mouth appears in thin air to start nibbling on the Biomass I offer. Obviously, I'm not feeding him the Biomass from his own former body. I don't know if that has a bad effect, but it's surely very weird.
[Enough about the demon, we need to work out what you are going to be doing between now and the next fight.]
[Keep grinding on my elemental skills? The ice magic turned out to be quite effective.]
Granin frowns, his rocky face turning stern.
[That might do for now, but I feel like we're going to need something else. You're aiming for the rank five fusion, which is unlikely to happen before the end of the tournament, so raising the elemental skills won't be a massive help.]
I hesitate.
[I have a ... uh ... special attack that I can use. If the enemy is taken by surprise, it basically a guaranteed win. I could use it in the next round to buy some more time.]
Granin stares at me for a moment.
[Is it a Gravity spell?] He asks astutely.
[It is,] I confirm reluctantly.
I don't want to spill all of my secrets. I still don't fully trust Granin and his team. More than that, I don't trust the broader Shaper community even a little bit. Granin thinks for a moment and speaks a few words to Torrina. She nods and concentrates hard for a time before nodding back to her leader.
[Alright, they aren't listening in. I've told you already that Gravity magic is risky, but we might have to pull the trigger on it this time. Even in this short amount of time, Gravus' allies are moving on his behalf. Things are going to get rough for us and the next matchup is going to be a serious problem. If you blow up the next opponent with some powerful unknown spell, then they'll be screaming to have you taken out and interrogated.]
[So... I shouldn't use it?]
[Not necessarily. If I get to work early, we can lay the groundwork for our counter-argument. The leading triad doesn't have universal support in their suppression of you and between now and then we can stoke those attitudes and point to the numerous abuses that start popping up. With a little luck, we'll have enough sympathy on our side that when they try to seize you, we can deny them.]
[You don't sound completely sure that'll work out.]
Granin sits down heavily and sighs.
[I'm not. But our backs are getting pressed harder and harder against the wall. You've set yourself up for long term success, but these monsters have been tuned to be super-efficient at these low tiers. It's not a fair matchup to begin with and the more rounds you win, the more optimised monsters you're going to run into.]
[If I don't make use of every trick in the arsenal, it's going to be almost impossible to win.] I finish his thought.
[Right,] he agrees. [We were going to have to uncork Gravity magic at some point. Hopefully, you've given me enough warning that I can protect you from the fallout.]
He pauses for a second.
[Just how powerful is this spell anyway? Like, stronger than that eye laser?]
Oh boy.
[Granin, I don't think you'll believe it until you see it.]
He shakes his head.
[Alright. I'll get to work right away. We're going to be busy over the next two days. Get right into training and consider your next mutations. You need to get the maximum value out of whatever you choose to go with, so think carefully.]
He says a few words to Torrina before turning to climb the ladder and hustle out of the cell.
[Alright then Anthony,] the younger Shaper speaks up, [you ready for elemental training?]
My brains still ache like mad, and my body is exhausted. But I stand up and shuffle my new pet back a little with one leg.
[Of course. I'm always ready.]
This isn't the lazy holiday I had in mind.
-x-X-x-
I don't get much time between gruelling bouts of training my elemental Skills, but the time I do get I spend playing with my new pet, the mini-demon. He's awkward, unable to fly on his stunted wings and frequently tumbles over when walking about on his weak little arms. Every time he falls his big green eyeball wells up with moisture and I have to soothe him for a while before he can calm down and get back up.
I don't remember Tiny or Crinis being this fragile.
Long dormant, my Pet Growth Speed Skill finally has a chance to level up! This Skill will reduce the time it takes for the little guy to grow into his full, combat-ready form. I'd kind of hoped that it would reduce the amount of Biomass that he'd need to eat to grow, making the whole process a bit cheaper, but instead it just seems to increase the speed he goes through food. He's always hungry and the more he eats, the faster he grows.
Not that he's going to get that large. Not visibly at least. He's probably expanding a great deal inside his little pocket dimension.
Eventually, my brains burn out and I have to beg Torrina to leave me be so I can go into some sweet, sweet torpor. I need to rest! I'm completely drained! The second she's gone I make myself comfortable and sink immediately into blessed inactivity, my body goes completely still. Sweet release! A relaxing feeling takes over my body and slowly my minds grow still and oblivion takes over.
SHABAM!
I'm back, baby! For whatever reason, there's no slow recovery from torpor! I was never much of a morning person, I can remember many mornings feeling a touch low energy, but ever since my rebirth I'm just full of beans after waking up! I'm ready! I'm ready to take on the world! I manage to flex my legs and bounce around my cell as if I were shadowboxing for a brief moment before I realise Torrina is in the room and watching me.
[You seem full of energy,] she sounds amused, [ready for more training then?]
Dammit!
This rock-woman has no mercy... Sigh... may as well get into it.
After another four hours of relentless training with only a brief pause to eat and feed my new pet, the relentless monotony of the was only broken when Granin entered the room and ordered Torrina to leave. I can't cry, but I swear real tears nearly fall when I hear his gruff voice. Getting levels and improving my Skills is important, of course, I know that, but the training the three Shapers are putting me through is truly brutal.
Compress the mana, shape the mana, cast the spell, tear apart my spell, start again. Over and over. Not only is it repetitive, but it's also really hard! Not to mention, I have to do this in two entirely separate elements casting two different spells at the same time! Every one of my minds is pushed to the limit for the duration of the training and a painful headache multiplied by four assaults me whenever I stop. It's effective training, but holy moly is it rough.
[Granin, I honestly never thought I'd be so grateful to see you.]
The big Golgari Shaper looks up at me in surprise.
[What's the matter? I never thought I'd hear such words from you. Ah, Torrina has been training you? Hehe. You have my sympathy.]
He looks at me with barely concealed happiness, as if he is drawing great comfort from my suffering.
[She's always like this?! I thought she was only pushing me so hard because of the short timeframe!]
[Oh no,] he shakes his head, [she's crazy. You have to understand that she came from low social status, like me, but she was able to raise herself high through her ridiculous work ethic. She's a well-regarded prospect amongst her peers.]
[Hold on a second. I thought you were considered to be a problematic no-hoper. How'd this bright young star end up in your triad?] I ask pointedly.
Granin frowns.
[That's all down to social standing and politics. Enough about that.] He waves away the matter of Torrina with one hand whilst fixing me with a glare. [Through hard work and bending a few fingers I've managed to secure a meeting for you with the other reincarnators. It wasn't easy, but I even managed to ensure that you wouldn't be listened in on. As far as I'm aware this is the first time that three of you have met together in the history of the Golgari empire.]
[You mean, like anywhere?]
[It may have happened somewhere on Pangera, but we don't know about it. I figured this would be a good chance for you to try and make some allies. James and more specifically Sarah have been here a long time. There are many Shapers who are sympathetic to them. If you can get them to put in a good word for you, it'll have some weight around the outpost.]
Interesting! I have heard that normally there aren't nearly so many of us spawning into the Dungeon so close together. If there was ever going to be a time when a group of us former Earthlings were going to meet up, it was now. A short time later the three escorts arrive and we set off once more on the short journey from my cell to the combat area. Nice to be making this trip secure in the knowledge that I don't have to annihilate anything whilst risking annihilation when I reach the end of it.
After being led into the open, circular arena, I'm pleasantly surprised to see Jim and Sarah have already arrived. The giant worm is sitting in a large coiled loop, his blind head pointing this way and that, whilst Sarah, the immense bear monster is sat on her hind legs, huffing with laughter. It takes me a few moments to connect up to the others with a mind bridge so I can join the conversation.
[What's so funny?] I ask as I skitter up to join them.
[Ah, Anthony! Nice to see you!] Sarah sounds genuinely glad to see that I've managed to survive the tournament so far. [Jim is just prattling on, as he tends to do.]
[It's not about worms is it?] I needle him.
[It should have been!] Jim declares proudly. [Despite being the Cult of the Worm, there's hardly enough emphasis given to all things worm around here. Nobody seems to appreciate this noblest of all species!]
Sarah huffs out another laugh.
[The Cult doesn't worship worms! They worship Yarrum, there's a difference.]
Jim curls up and flicks his tail with contempt.
[What would Yarrum be without his mighty worminess?!]
[An ancient,] Sarah and I chime in together.
[Bah! Yet more unbelievers in the way of worm! Don't worry, I'm used to it.]
Jim seems insulted by our unwillingness to fully buy into his worm enthusiasm, but I'm not certain how much of his petulance is real or performance. I can't help but feel there's more to Jim than meets the eye. He can't be this upfront, can he?
[So Anthony, how've you been?] Sarah sounds a little anxious as she turns her massive bear head towards me.
[Me? Competing in a tournament of death, filled with anxiety and struggle. Same as usual! Why?]
The giant bear deflates as she hears my words. I can tell that she still feels bad about me having to risk my life on the command of the Shapers. Clearly, her loyalty to this mad cult is still strong, but she disagrees with their actions here. Perhaps there's a little hope for her after all.
[I've asked so many times but they don't want to stop the tournament. It's not right!] Sarah says, despondent.
[Why would they listen to you?] Jim interjects. [We're not equals in their eyes, we're experiments. Means to an end. They don't care that we were once people.]
[That's not true!] Sarah protests.
[Sorry Sarah, I have to agree with Jim,] I chime in. [My experience is a little bit more extreme than yours, but do you think that if they found you when they found me you'd be treated any differently? I don't think so.]
I can tell that Sarah wants to argue but there isn't much ammunition for her to use. I think I take a little risk with these two. Nothing ventured, nothing gained after all.
[Look. I don't want to say too much, but there's a slight chance I'll break out of here before the end of the tournament. Any chance you'd want to come with?]
-x-X-x-
[Hell yes my invertebrate brother! This is what I'm talking about! Leave the crazies to be crazy and let's get out of here. We'll have a way better chance of surviving together than we would on our own!]
Jim the Elemental Worm of Earth is all in. Not too surprising considering he already wants to escape and has made no secret of it. His entire body wiggles with delight as he enthusiastically expresses his desire to get out of crazy town. Sarah is far less enthralled.
[Escape?! Why?!] she says, aghast. [The Shapers have taken care of you for years, Jim! You're safe here. Going back out into the Dungeon, it's insane!]
The giant worm doesn't stop its dance as he replies, exasperation clear in his voice.
[I've been telling you that I want to get out of here for more than twelve months, Sarah.]
[I didn't think you actually wanted to leave! Why would you ever want to leave?!]
[We are prisoners here. Well-fed and well cared for prisoners, to be sure, but prisoners all the same! Do you think just because they speak to you politely that you aren't a captive? Can you go wherever you want? Can you do anything without their permission? You need to wake up!]
[It's better than living like a mindless beast. You want to go back to kill or be killed?! Or more likely, spending months at a time hiding beneath the dirt?!]
[Whoa there,] I break in. [Let's just chill for a moment, that got heated fast.]
The two monsters are staring at each other (as well as a worm can stare anyways, I really don't think he has eyes) and Sarah is clearly agitated, her breath booming like bellows as she sucks in the air. From that brief interchange I get the feeling that they might have had this sort of interaction multiple times before, with much the same conclusion. Looks like I need to play the peacemaker.
[Look. I didn't mean to stir up any bad feelings here. Yes, the Dungeon is a scary and dangerous place where you have to fight to survive,] I say to Sarah, [and yes, you are in fact prisoners here kept under the thumb of the Cult,] I say to Jim. [I think we can all agree that those things are true, right?]
The other two former humans grumble in agreeance.
[Great. Clearly, Jim is less intimidated by the thought of surviving in the Dungeon than Sarah is, that's fine. There's no judgement here.] I try to move my antennae in a soothing way. Calming circles, all that jazz. [And it's clear that Sarah isn't as chafed by her restricted freedoms as Jim is, that's also fine. Let's just talk it out, work out where each of us stands and most importantly, not leak this idea to the Shapers and get Anthony brutally murdered, alright?]
I gave them a moment to collect themselves. Why are they getting all bent out of shape? If anyone has the right to be feeling a little tense at the moment, surely it's me!
[Okay, how about Sarah goes first? Is that alright, Jim?]
The worm gives a languid tail wave as a reply, indicating his lack of care.
[Alright then Sarah, tell us how you feel about the escape plan.]
I feel like I'm managing a couple's therapy session for my parents. At least this time nobody's screaming at me.
[Okay.] The gigantic bear nods her head and settles back on her hindquarters. She takes a few moments to frame her thoughts before she continues. [Obviously, it's been a long time for me. In the Dungeon, I mean. I had an advantage over the two of you, I suppose. I was reborn as a bear, not an insect. I don't think I was super powerful but I was quite strong and I was able to defend myself pretty well. But, I wasn't very good... at it. Being a monster, I mean. I suppose ... it must sound silly, but, fighting... and killing. I hated it. I found refuge with the Sophos for a time, but I wasn't comfortable there, they didn't understand why I didn't want to fight.]
I nod my antennae sympathetically. They wouldn't make sense of that at all. A monster that wouldn't fight? What's the point of it?!
[When the Shapers found me, I was almost mad from the fear and the violence. I just... I don't want to go back... I don't want to be on my own again.]
A pause.
[Thanks for sharing, Sarah. I think we can all agree that fighting to survive is difficult and scary. I think we can also agree that not everyone is wired to thrive in that sort of environment. I just want you to consider one thing Sarah. If you were to escape with us, you wouldn't be on your own, but would have people to talk to, people who could help share the danger with you. Something to think about.]
This is actually super tiring. I'm not built for this.
[Jim, why don't you tell us your thoughts about escaping?]
[Gladly! I am more afraid of the Shapers turning on me and stuffing me into this tournament than I am of the Dungeon. Simple. Remember, my experience of the Dungeon wasn't great, in fact it was absolutely awful! But I'll take that situation, which I can control, over being fed to some death weapon of a monster.]
Again, a pause.
[Great, I think that's helped clarify everyone's thoughts.]
Talking this reasonably is taking a toll on me. I think I can feel my headache coming back.
[Why do you think the Shapers would force you into the tournament, Jim?] Sarah asks her friend. [They love you here. They've always been good to you.]
[Things are changing, Sarah. I've said this before, but surely you can see it now. Look at Anthony! You never would have thought that he'd be stuck where he is now, would you? He's just like us! Why are you so sure that they won't do the same to you and me? To me, it doesn't make any sense that you ignore this possibility. Maybe you can afford to, since you're strong. If they put me in there, it'll be a slaughter. I can't afford the risk!]
[I have to agree that I don't particularly feel the love that you allude to here, Sarah. They've spent a lot of time and resources on you over decades. I feel like the new regime may want to collect at some point.]
She probably feels a little ganged up on with the two of us coordinating against her. To be honest, I don't really care if she decides to join the escape plan or not. We'd have a higher chance of success if she was with us, I've no doubt, but my larger goal is to try and meet back up with the Colony, something I'm not too sure either of these two would be enthusiastic about. One we get away from the Golgari, I'll be striking out on my own.
[Let me think about it,] Sarah finally mutters after a long pause.
[Sure] I say easily. [Just remember, don't get me killed. Please. I really mean it.]
-x-X-x-
After discussing the great escape the conversation turns back to more idle topics. Where did you live on Earth? Wow, I sure didn't live anywhere near there! How did you die? Don't want to talk about it? I'm not surprised! It's probably not surprising that we aren't the type of people who'd want to excessively share about our human lives. Given what I learned from the lord of the Dungeon, Mr Beardy Man himself, put together with the few small hints that I got from the others, I understand that none of us had fantastic lives.
I mean, mine was fine, but Garralosh and these two seem to have suffered some nasty stuff.
Ah well, the past is in the past. We're all monsters now and we need to live the best monster life we can. Which for me means getting the heck out of here without becoming some other monster's lunch so I can reunite with my family. They must be struggling without me, desperate for my guidance and steady leadership...
Don't become delusional, Anthony. They're probably doing just fine without you. In fact, if anyone should be worried, it should be them worrying about me. Our conversation plays out quite pleasantly in the end and we go our separate ways. I notice that Sarah takes a good long look at her trio of escorts before she moves off with them. Perhaps she's actually starting to wake up to the reality of her life here. If she actually does manage to make an escape with Jim, I think she'll find the Dungeon far less intimidating than she did before. Company makes all the difference. If I didn't have the Colony and Tiny, I might have ended up exactly the same as her. Going from being a human living in a society to being a monster incapable of communication is rough to say the least. No one to talk to, even just to vent and destress makes things tough mentally.
Jim had it even harder, slithering around in the soil, completely blind. He plays it off as if it were fine, but I think he suffered a great deal in those early days. Unable to fight, unable to see or talk. Living in a world of complete darkness whilst being so defenceless and clueless. It must have left some scars on him. It would be impossible for it not to. His willingness to throw himself back into the thick of it is admirable, but I feel he too would benefit from having a companion to share the danger with.
It's unlikely to have anything to do with me anyway. If we get out alive, we'll soon part ways. For now, the staying alive part is what I need to focus on. Back in my cell I'm not too shocked to find Torrina waiting once more.
[Do you have to be here? Don't you have something else to do?] I groan.
She quirks one stony eyebrow at me.
[Corun is keeping Tiny alive for the moment so I'd thought I'd stay here and do the same for you. You'd prefer the alternative?]
[No ma'am. Let's get to it!]
As much as I whine, I know she's doing me a huge favour by helping my training. I'm not too interested in dying and this is the best way I can try and keep myself alive. I'd be an absolute idiot to put less than all of my effort into it. I'll be thrown into another death match in two days, harder than the last one probably. Every level up is critical.
And I am getting them, level ups I mean. Grinding away at two different types of magic at the same time is progressing my Skills at a quick pace. Not only the elemental Skills, but my supplementary mental Skills as well. I've gained two levels in Iron Mind and one in Profound Meditation as well as bringing all of my elemental Skills, bar Air, up to rank three. The third rank is some sort of pivot for the elements, unlocking more powerful varieties of the original shape. Water unlocked Ice magic at rank three and it proves the same for the others. Earth Magic unlocked Stone Magic and Fire magic unlocked Blue Flame. All sorts of new stuff can be done with Stone Magic but Blue Flame just seems to be hotter flame. Still useful, no doubt about that, just less exciting I suppose.
From what I'm told that's it as far as new types of Elements from the base Skills, which is another reason why people don't pursue them very far. You made it to rank three? That's all she wrote folks, move along. For my part, I fully intend to keep pushing. Before the next fight starts I'll have all of them at rank three and be pushing for rank four.
[Any word on my next opponent?] I squeeze out to Torrina during training.
She whips a quick spell at me in case I become distracted but I manage to rip it apart at the last second.
[Not yet,] she informs me, [the second round hasn't finished yet. I think we still have two more days, perhaps a little less.]
Another two days... ugh.
[Is there any chance you could sneak Tiny in here? I'd love to say hi to the big lug.]
[I'm keeping him as close as possible, but it might be tricky to bring him into the compound. I'll see what I can do.]
[I appreciate it.]
And I really do. Not having Tiny and Crinis with me is causing all sorts of anxiety. They're my closest companions! My best buds! It just doesn't feel right when they're not around. I know that some would say they're not 'friends' as such, more 'magically bound slaves' but I hold no truck with that. I don't even subscribe to the Sophos attitude towards pets. Despite the Sophos being so generous and loving towards their pets, they still view them as possessions. I want to go beyond that. I will set them free one day! As soon as I work out how...
[Are you worried about your other pet?]
[Ye - ... what other pet?]
Safe! Just in time!
[Alright then, keep your secrets.]
[I shall! I mean, what secrets?]
That actually gets a laugh out of Torrina, a rare feat indeed. She's quite taciturn usually. In just this manner the training drags on until I'm forced to beg for rest. I take a little time to feed and tickle my new pet and then straight into torpor I go. When I wake up I have a snack of some Biomass, which I have a decent stockpile of, and then I anxiously await the next Golgari through the door. To my momentary delight, it's not Torrina the cold faced training torturer, but Granin who enters.
[I honestly never thought I'd be this happy to see you, Granin.]
He grunts.
[I think we'll fix that in a hurry. Let's have a chat about the next couple of rounds. We need to work out a strategy.]
-x-X-x-
Granin and I end up sitting facing each other. Though in my case 'sitting' is more of a comfortable crouch, which brings us reasonably close to eye level. Although again, in my case, I technically have a heck of a lot of eyes.
[There were a hundred and twenty-eight monsters at the start of this tournament. After just two rounds, we're down to thirty-two.]
Even through the rock on his face, I can see his disgust plain and clear. He looks like he wants to spit.
[Nearly a hundred projects that the Cult had invested in, gone to waste. The amount of effort, care and expertise that has been utterly wasted here is a travesty.]
I'm a little confused. Don't these monsters always end up dying? What the heck do they do with them?
[Usually, we release them into the Dungeon,] he replies after I query him. [Once we've done everything we can, training and raising the monster to the best of our collective abilities, we let them go out to the Dungeon to seek their destiny, hoping that they'll descend to the deepest Dungeon and become the final Ancient.]
[You just let them go? Like, releasing them into the wild?! Surely they all die?]
[We don't know if they're all dead,] he grumbles, [and even that's beside the point. Unless we let them out to fight and grow on their own, there's no chance they'll become an Ancient. The idea that you can keep and control a creature of that sort of power would be insane.]
He makes a decent point there. Trying to hold onto a monster as it grew increasingly strong would be difficult. These aren't pets; they have absolutely no issue biting the hand that feeds them. While many of the monsters are smart and can be reasoned with, eventually they'll get to tier eight or nine and can the Cult keep them caged at that point?
Doubtful.
[Anyway,] Granin waves a hand, [the third round is coming, after which there'll be four more.]
[Four more rounds?! Holy moly.]
[Four. Round of sixteen. Round of eight, Semi-final and Final. That's why I wanted to talk to you. If you go ahead and use your mega spell, or whatever it's called, in the next round, then you'll have to contend with the knowledge of it being revealed for the remaining four. Those monsters that are left are going to be no pushovers either. Regardless of how I feel about this tournament, the winners are getting stronger as the competition goes on. Some of these beasts are powerful.]
I hesitate for a moment. The first fight was a piece of cake, but the last round nearly killed me. It was way too close, insanely close. If I have to go through that another four times ... I don't want to go through that another four times.
[What are you thinking? Do I need to hold off further? Wait for another round? I barely made it past the last opponent. If the next one is going to be even worse, then will I even be able to survive without using my most powerful card?]
The crusty old Shaper leans back till his head thuds into the wall and he's looking straight up. The stone head must be helpful sometimes.
[I'm not sure,] he admits. [It's a risk, either way. I'm reasonably sure that we'll be able to protect you in the event your magic leaks out. Is this spell something you can try and whip out mid-battle?]
I think about it. It takes a significant amount of time to create a gravity bomb. Compressing the mana is mentally taxing and draining as hell. I was able to do it against Garralosh mainly because she was incoherent with rage. Perhaps one day I'll have the raw mental strength to crunch out a Gravity Bomb on the fly, but not yet.
[Unlikely. I'd need to prepare it before the battle started.]
Granin sat up.
[You need to compress and prepare the spell? Are you sure it'll hit?]
[Oh yeah. It's hard to get away from it.]
[So it's fast.]
[No.]
...
[You'll just have to see it for yourself, Granin. Try not to be sitting anywhere near it when it goes off.]
He looks at me for a moment before nodding and standing up.
[If there's nothing else, then I'll leave you to train and prepare. There isn't much time, try not to waste any time.]
[What have I done except train, collapse into sleep and feed my new pet?]
[That's what I'm talking about.]
[Gasp! Feeding an adorable little monster is never a waste of time! Is it, little guy?]
Slowly growing every day that passes, the small demon looks up at me with its one bulbous green eyeball and flutters its wings.
[You have food. I desire it!]
Talking already! He's growing up so fast! In fact, my pet speed raising Skill has already grown to three also. It must be accelerating his growth speed more and more as time passes.
[Of course little guy! Food is on the way!]
Like a doting parent, I grab some Biomass and pass to it the greedy demon who materialises his mouth out of the air and starts shovelling the food into his extra-dimensional belly.
[Anthony...]
[Huh?]
[Start training!]
[Oh yeah.]
Back to the grind, I suppose. I need to name this little dude. It'll have to wait for another time, however. I train alone until Torrina returns to push things harder and push my brains to their limits. In the moments where I have the energy to think I wonder if the Colony is training like this, and how well received the methods would be by the Mages. What the heck do they care about pain? That's just how you know you're working hard!
Energised by the thought of my siblings doing what they always do, I throw myself into practice and reap the reward of sweet, sweet levels. Before I know it, the third round is underway and who else would be asked to lift the curtain but the best insect in the Dungeon? (It's not you, Jim.)
-x-X-x-
It would be a lie to say that Granin wasn't nervous as he shifted in his seat and watched the gates rise to commence the third round of competition. That damned ant had been quite adamant that his spell would be a spectacular one-hit kill for any creature that didn't know it was coming. Granin himself knew of some pretty potent artillery type spells that required a triad to work together for an extended cast, compressing and shaping mana before releasing it in a glorious burst of devastation. Still, such spells were not at all useful in a one on one duel.
As he tried to contain his nervousness, he also did his best to ignore the muttered whispers of the Shapers around him in the stands. Gravus was a notable absentee for this round, and not a single person in attendance had failed to notice. Since the old stone was unlikely to back down on his own accord, there was little doubt that his triad leader had forbidden him from attending. After the campaign, Granin had waged bringing attention to the open bias against his sponsored monster the leading triad had to step a little more carefully lest they jeopardise the legitimacy of their tournament.
Having Gravus blow-up and get into another fistfight would not be a good look for them. Even as he understood their motives, Granin was a little disappointed. Baiting Gravus into another explosion would have served his purposes perfectly.
With a rattle and a crash, the gates slammed into their frames fully raised, and the gathered Shapers leaned forward in their seats as the two monsters emerged from their respective tunnels. From one side came a gleaming ant, barbed mandibles already gnashing at the air. Even from where he sat, Granin could feel the mana concentration within Anthony growing by the second. He was already working on his spell, and everyone could sense it. That happened to include the monster who'd entered opposite. A ponderous mound of dark goop, the Death Creeper was a pain of a monster to kill. Capable of rotting flesh that even approached it, the Creeper exuded a powerful aura of decay that few monsters of the Second Strata could match. As it sensed the powerful build-up of mana within its opponent, the creature wisely began to disperse its mass.
This creature was a tough opponent for Anthony in Granin's eyes. His acid would do little to the beast since the acid itself would dissolve to nothing before doing any sort of damage, and if he tried to close in and bite, he'd be suffering damage just from being close to the thing. Magic was the best way to deal with the Creeper but even that was hard to achieve. Without a doubt, the triad in charge of raising this Creeper had taken the necessary precautions and built magic resistance into the monster from an early stage.
The Creeper didn't appear overconfident at all and moved cautiously, spreading itself out and oozing its way toward its opponent. For his part, Anthony continued showboating and snapped at the air with his mandibles while his antennae swirled wildly. What the hell is he doing?
"Mind if I join you?"
Granin started when someone spoke nearby and turned to see a smiling Shaper standing nearby looking down at him. He frowned a touch when he realised who this was: Inaron, triad leader responsible for raising the Creeper fighting below.
"Sure. Take a seat."
It was a little unusual for competing sponsors to be sitting next to each other during a bout but not unheard of during this tournament. Some Shapers found the process too emotional, whereas others remained quite detached.
"My thanks," came the reply as Inaron took his seat. "That seems to be quite the spell your creature is working on there. The mana feels dense and almost unstable."
Granin grunted.
"His best chance of overcoming your Creeper is overwhelming it with magic. I get the feeling this fight is going to short and decisive either way."
"Oh, I agree. If the spell fails to do fatal damage, then I believe the ant will find itself quickly overwhelmed."
Inaron sounded immensely confident in his assessment, enough so that Granin turned to him curiously.
"You don't believe the spell will be effective?"
Not wanting to appear impolite Inaron simply nodded.
"Indeed. The weak point of the Creeper is its slow movement combined with its poor ability to contest ranged opponents. In the Dungeon, as I'm sure you know, they are typically an ambush predator, not suited to chasing down their prey. My triad and I have put a huge amount of effort into designing this Creeper to overcome those issues. It's ability to resist magical offence and disperse damage is first class."
Granin nodded. He'd seen the Creeper's first two fights, and they went much as Inaron said. Closing in against the monster was playing to its strengths, and it would use its liquid-like flesh to engulf its opponent and allow its death aura to do the work whilst absorbing whatever punishment its victim dealt out in its death throes. In the tournament the opponents of the Creeper had taken the safe approach, attempting to kite the monster and punish it from range. Neither had succeeded. The Creeper had spread itself out across a disgustingly large area and slowly cornered its foe while absorbing the damage sent its way. In both cases, the opponent had been cornered, wrapped up and succumbed shortly after.
The same scene was playing out again, except this time the opponent hadn't even bothered to cast a single spell, choosing instead to pose dramatically. Granin had to resist the urge to slap his forehead. What is that idiot doing?
Iranon almost succeeded in keeping the pity from his face as he observed, "I believe your monster is ready to unleash its spell. I'm most curious to see what it is."
"You and me both," Granin muttered.
Before they had a chance to continue their discussion, the ant ceased his antics and opened his jaws wide. The vast build-up of mana within the creature had reached a crescendo; the spell was ready.
Granin sat forward and watched intently. From what he understood, Gravity magic was able to change weight. Useful, but not in any way as impressive as tunnelling through space. For Gravity Magic to be as high in rank or higher than Space magic, there had to be more to it than that, he just had no idea what it might be. Anthony had refused to tell him and if weren't for the life or death situation the tournament represented he would never have had a chance to see.
"Come on, Anthony. Show me something special." He prayed.
Then it happened.
From between the open mandibles of the ant monster, a ball so dark as to appear almost black flickered into existence. After a moment that stretched out in silence, it blasted toward the Creeper. The uproar was instantaneous.
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWLLLLLLLLLL.
As the ball shot forward, the air in the combat arena stirred to a mighty wind within a second. A piercing shriek stabbed Granin in the ears, causing sharp pain. Every Shaper watching stood in the same moment as they witnessed the spell fly toward the Creeper. Granin's eyes bulged in his head as he fought against the buffeting wind. All of the air in the room was being sucked toward that damned ball! What the hell was it?!
Even the light around the spell seemed to fade into darkness which made it difficult to discern the edge of the spell. Where did the sphere end and the dark begin? Nobody could say! In response to the appearance of this shrieking magic, the Creeper had reacted as it had been taught to, spreading its malleable liquid-like flesh out as wide as possible. Like a wave crashing onto a beach, it covered almost half the combat area in its dark body.
It took only a few seconds for the spell to cross the distance. Powerful or not, Granin still didn't see how such a small spell would be capable of destroying that much magic resistant monster flesh.
The ball slammed into the soft flesh of the Creeper and vanished within. For a heartbeat Granin feared that nothing would happen, that the spell had been absorbed and destroyed just like that, but then the body of the monster expanded in an instant and that horrifying shriek stirred the air once again.
A black sphere several metres in diameter appeared, the body of the Creeper around it was just gone, somehow vanished. The pull of the air was even stronger now, the light dimmed even further, and Granin could feel something that stirred in him a deep fear. He was being pulled forward. His feet slid toward the edge of the area slightly before he blinked and braced himself. He could see other Shapers around him doing the same. The spell was trying to drag him in! If he could feel it from up here, what was it like down there?
He only had to look at the Creeper to get an idea. At first the monster had accepted the loss of a chunk of its body, such a thing was normal after all, but as it had tried to pull away from the spell, it had found that it couldn't. In fact, it was being pulled toward it! Granin could see the monster trying to pull its flesh away, but it was useless. With every second that passed more and more of the Creeper was pulled into the sphere where it simply vanished, as if it had never been.
The Shapers watched the whole process in shocked silence until the spell flickered and disappeared. The vast Creeper was nowhere to be seen. The only thing that remained in the arena was a gleaming ant, still posing up on its hind legs with the front two extended wide on either side.
-x-X-x-
The Shapers in the stands watched in shocked silence as the ant monster relaxed its pose and made its way across to its defeated foe. At first, it didn't seem as if there was anything left after the vortex of doom vanished but when Granin looked closely he could see a small ball the size of his own clenched fist resting in the depression left behind in the aftermath of the spell.
Anthony crawled down into the crater and before the befuddled eyes of the spectators began to drag the sphere back toward his own exit where a very wary triad of guards was waiting.
Even though he was forewarned, Granin was as stunned as everyone else. Anthony had warned him that he wouldn't believe it until he saw it, and he was right! What the hell was that?! The incredible suction, that horrifying dark sphere that seemed to consume the very air itself! The power was beyond his expectations, far beyond! Judging by the look on Inaron's face, he was struggling to accept what he'd just seen also.
"I have to hand it to you, Inaron," Granin tried to play it cool, "I'm truly impressed by the defensive capabilities your monster displayed. Great work."
So saying, he tried to escape from the spectator area by walking casually toward the exit. Unfortunately, he didn't make it three steps before Inaron grabbed him by the arm.
"What in the name of the Worm was that?! I've never seen that spell before Granin!"
"Oh, that? You know, it's a ..." he groped for some excuse to play it off, "a combination of dark and fire magic. You felt that wind kick up, right? That's from the, uh, flames."
He tried to pull his arm loose but the numbed Iranon still had him locked in a death grip. Glancing around he could see that other Shapers had recovered from their initial malaise and had started to move toward him. If he got stuck here he'd be bogged down by questions and pestering until he crumbled to dust! He couldn't allow it. If he left Anthony alone for that long the insect would be dragged away by Gravus to a separate chamber and he'd probably never find him again. He had to get out, now.
Granin was a Golgari of action. Make a plan, follow the plan, always deliver. So that's what he would do. He turned to face Iranon head-on and placed his loose hand on the Shaper's shoulder.
"Sorry about this Iranon. I'll buy you some Rock Beer next time."
"What are you -."
BAM!
With one colossal fist, Granin knocked the words straight of his colleague's mouth and the sense out of his head. Out cold, the poor scholar loosened his grip and fell back into the seats with a clatter. Finally free, Granin did what any self-respecting mage of advanced age would do. He turned and bolted for the exits shouldering aside all who tried to accost him on his way. Angry shouts punctuated the air in his wake but he didn't dare delay. The moment word of what happened got back to the leading triad, things would hit the fan.
Dammit, Anthony! I know you said it was big, but I never imagined it would be like that!
It took ten minutes of dashing through the tunnels for Granin to finally make it Anthony's chamber. When he arrived he was relieved to see Corun and Torrina already here and no sign of Gravus.
"What the hell was that spell, Granin?" Corun nearly shouted. "I could hear it from out in the corridor!"
"You didn't ask, Anthony? He's right there?" Confused, Granin pointed at the ant attempting to gnaw at the ball of presumably squashed Biomass.
"He won't say anything," Corun grumbled, "just tell me it's his 'special move' and can't be advertised."
[Bit late for keeping it under wraps now, isn't it?] Granin sent to the bug-brained fool. [The whole place is in an uproar! I had to knock out another Shaper just to get here!]
The ant didn't turn its head, but Granin had grown to understand that due to his compound eyes Anthony could still see him, shifting his head just wasn't necessary most of the time.
[It's pretty awesome, I have to agree. Keeping Corun in the dark is just fun, he's practically pouting over there! What a baby.]
Granin froze.
[That's so petty!]
[I'm trying to eat here Granin. What do you need?]
A persistent scraping sound jarred the ears of all present as the giant ant tried to snap and chomp at the ball on the ground in front of it, without much success.
[Is it... compressed?] Torrina broke in to ask.
[Of course, it's compressed! It's been smashed together by the force of gravity! With enough mana that spell could probably do the same thing to the planet as it did to that Creeper thing.]
Granin's eyes bulged.
[What did you say?!] he shrieked.
[Calm down. It would take, like, a lot of mana. Way too much. What you saw then was pretty much as strong as I can handle the spell right now.]
The old Shaper tried to clear his head for a moment. Torrina filled in the silence.
[Anthony, I thought your gravity magic affected weight. Made things heavier or lighter. How does it produce the effect that you created?] She asked slowly.
The ant snapped its mandibles in irritation.
[Explaining gravity is so weird. It's gravity! Besides, I don't have any particular reason I need to share this information with you, do I?]
At that moment the doors to the upstairs viewing are blown open and Gravus barged in followed by six Shapers.
"Everyone out!" He bellowed. "I will be assuming the management of the creature!"
Even from below Granin could see the greed blazing in the eyes of the old cantankerous snake. New magic was a lure that Shapers found hard to resist and it didn't look like Gravus was trying too hard right now. Anthony's gravity magic wasn't too desirable initially, the effects were novel but hardly intimidating. After that display, the story had completely changed.
"Over my dead body, Gravus!" Granin roared as he stomped toward the ladder to climb back to the upper level.
Corun and Torrina had leapt to their feet when the invaders had appeared and when they saw Granin charge forward they leap to back him up. Triads acted together in the face of outsiders and they would do no different now when the stakes were high. Granin was like an angry bull as he surged up the ladder, curses and threats pouring out of his mouth to the extent that even those who entered behind Gravus were looking a little pale. Not the fearless leader though, his face twisted with rage as he beheld his most detested individual flying toward him.
Before the inevitable confrontation could explode the door was forced open once again and the much calmer visage of Irette Plamine entered the chamber.
"That's quite enough, I think," she warned those present.
Gravus restrained himself with a visible effort whilst Granin and his two triad mates finished making their way up the ladder where they then paused, eyeing the crowd distrustfully. The situation was tense, feelings were running high on both sides. So Gravus was absolutely not surprised when that stupid ant went and opened his big mouth.
[I'm happy to let you know a little about my magic,] he sent to Plamine, [IF you let me out of this stupid tournament. Good deal, no?]
-x-X-x-
The thing about Golgari is that they're totally covered in stone. It's easy to forget it sometimes, since the rock moves and shifts along with their movements, as if it were a part of them. Scratch that, it is a part of them, just not something they were born with. I've been able to get a little detail out of the few members of the species I've spent my time with, and picked up a few other morsels of insight through observation. Essentially, they're born without that rocky outer coating and when they get old enough, fully grown, I assume, they choose a mineral or some type of ore and then bond it onto their skin, forming a second skin.
Although the process seems to bring the stone to some sort of life, making it an actual part of their bodies, you have to remember that these are people with actual rock on the outside of their bodies. It makes reading certain social cues difficult. Males and females aren't quite as distinctive in their body shape, for example. I suppose the rocks sort of round out the edges, making it a little harder to tell them apart. For another thing, changes in expression are hard to read, since their faces tend to be quite immobile. A smile is easy enough, but something like a frown can be tricky since the stone doesn't wrinkle like a human's skin would. Anything around the eyes can be difficult also, the muscle movements are usually small and get almost completely washed out by the second skin.
I mean, this is me speaking as a former human turned insect. I'm sure they have no issue telling all this stuff apart and if I mentioned it they'd look at me like I was nuts. I also can't dismiss the possibility that after spending a significant amount of time around monsters and other ants that my ability to discern humanoid social cues is beginning to degrade in a massive way. I mean, I can tell what an ant is feeling by the movement of their antennae, which is pretty cool. It's trade-offs.
Anyway, the reason my mind turns to Golgari expressions is because I can easily tell that the Plamine lady is SUPER cheesed off. No doubt about it. The glare is there, the eyes are almost hot enough to burn a hole in my carapace, the brows are drawn, I can tell and that jaw is clenched like an iron vice. Holy moly lady, you're going to crack a molar, ease up a little!
I'm not sure what's got her so mad. If they're willing to let me out of this death tournament of death, in which I might die, then I'm happy to trade a little knowledge. It's not as if they've ever unlocked gravity magic in the history of their species, so they aren't likely to get it anytime soon. For whatever reason they've never been able to create pets with it either and I seriously doubt just knowing its possible will cause the system to slip it into the menu for them.
[You seek to bargain with the Cult of the Worm?] Even her mental voice sounds as if it were pushed through gritted teeth. How does she even do that?
[Sure. Why not? I have something you want, you have something I want, why not do a trade? What I want, just in case you weren't aware, is to leave this place alive and go back to where you, you know, abducted me, a sapient reincarnated person, against my will.]
If anything her glare grows even hotter. Jeez. If this is getting her so mad then imagine if I was talking to Gravus! That moron might have just popped from sheer indignant rage.
[Considering that you are our captive, it would seem that you have a significantly weakened bargaining position, wouldn't you say?]
So far this mental connection has been private, but with her last words I feel her reaching out to Gravus to bring him into the conversation. Not to be outdone I spin Granin into the loop as well.
[Captive. Prisoner. Slave. All great words to describe my situation. The situation you put me in. Because, you know, that's apparently something that you're comfortable with. As for leverage, I'm not exactly sure what you think you've got. If I don't give up my knowledge willingly, how are you planning on getting it out of me?]
[Oh, there are ways, insect!] Gravus kicks in as I knew he would. [I will rip it from your mind if I have to!]
Even Plamine winces a little at the barbarity of that suggestion.
[You want to get in a tug of war with me, Gravus? I notice you brought six other Shapers in here with you, very brave.] I snap my mandibles with a sharp CLACK! [And if you tried it, maybe I'd turn you into a little ball of hardened mush and eat you. Did you think of that?] For emphasis I nudge the remains of the Creeper and let it roll a little before it comes to a rest.
Granin eyes me warily but I don't need any reminding that I'm playing a dangerous game. The risk that they'll simply overwhelm my mental defences and knock me out is very real. I'm gambling that they can't get any real information out of me if I'm not conscious.
Just, let me go you stupid rock people! I want out of here and back to my family! Why'd you idiots bring me here in the first place if all you want is me dead?!
...
That's actually a good question. Maybe I should ask that. After Gravus stops choking on his own spit after I threatened him, of course.
[Not only do you think you're in a position to bargain with us, you now think you can threaten us?] She asks coolly. It appears she's managed to get her temper under control.
[Look, all I want is to leave. I don't want to be here, I'm not a big fan of having to fight for my life every few days and frankly, the hospitality has been very lacking. You want a bit of knowledge out of me? Sure. Have at it. Just let me go. I vanish into the Dungeon and you'll never hear from me again. You seriously don't seem like you want me here anyway. Let's make a deal and we all get what we want. Juicy new magic for you and me out sight.]
Granin clears his throat before he joins in.
[Anthony has raised a valid point, Plamine. Many have made note that Anthony has been deprived of resources and the questionable matchups have raised more than a few brows. It was hardly necessary for Gravus to open his blowhole and confirm the leading triad's bias, but he went and did it anyway so now every Shaper in this facility is aware of it.]
[Do you have a point, Granin?] Plamine turns to face him. I get the feeling she is mentally standing on Gravus' foot otherwise there's no way he'd have kept his mouth shut.
[My point is quite simple,] Granin replies, smooth as silk, [I have gathered the required quorum to move a motion of no confidence in your triad's leadership. Should you push me, or Anthony, to give up his secrets against his free will, or engage in any further blatant manipulation of this event, then I'll be forced to push that motion ahead.]
A tense silence descends in each of our respective minds, which I promptly break.
[What's this motion of no confidence? Is it bad?] I say openly, knowing that Plamine and Gravus can hear me.
Granin's lip twitches in amusement and he responds openly as well.
[Very bad. For all of us. Remember that the Cult of the Worm is supposed to be a secret society. Not every Shaper is a member, not even close. If the motion is passed then a high ranking Shaper would be sent to investigate and mediate. It would be rather difficult to keep what has been happening here under wraps at that point. The leading triad would be outed as Cultists, as would I and my triad, and we'd be put to death.]
Ouch.
This move seems to have caught Plamine by surprise, her eyes narrow as Granin explains his ploy and her hands clench and unclench.
[Give us some time to consider.] She says coldly before turning on her heels and leaving the way she came in, followed by Gravus and flunkies.
Great! Now I've got more time to try and eat this stupid Biomass. I refuse to let it go to waste this time!
-x-X-x-
It took time and effort, but finally, I have been successful in my quest to consume the Biomass resulting from a Gravity Bomb! After contending with the dense ball of ex-monster with my mandibles without success, I had to apply other methods to try and soften it. Water magic and acid had some effect, but not much on the unyielding chunk but they did provide the impetus that allowed the breakthrough! By first cooling the sphere and then heating it with ice and fire magic respectively, then biting the heck out of it I'd been able to crack the ball open finally. Once such a weakness has been exposed, it was merely a matter of persistence, chomping on the thing over and over again to break off small flakes and shards that I could eat one by one.
The taste is horrendous. Unimaginably bad. But there's little that can be done about that, the pursuit of Biomass doesn't allow for weak stomachs! If I wasn't willing to eat something disgusting, I would have starved to death long ago. I wouldn't have even made it as long as I did as a human! Something like this is laughable.
Of course, my sub-brains continue their brutal training regime even as I worry this ball of food into manageable chunks. No rest can be allowed if I'm to survive the upcoming rounds. Despite my peace offering to the leaders of this farce of a Cult, I don't think they'll let me have the easy way out. Their greed for knowledge is one thing, their dedication to their idiotic vision quite another. After getting to this point and sacrificing so many of their own members' projects, would they really be willing to throw the rules out the window to let me go? I'm not sure even the lure of new magic is enough to get my deal over the line.
Even beyond their stubborn ideology is their strange and seemingly baseless dislike of me as an individual. You don't like ant monsters, fine. We do start very weak, it's true. I've been lucky I've made it as far as I have. Yet there seems to be this strange insistence that I wind up dead. Why?! It can't just be because they don't want me wasting resources they would rather see being funnelled into stronger monsters. If that was all they wanted, surely they'd just have to wait until I ran into another creature that I couldn't beat and all my accumulated experience and Biomass would go toward their desired end.
It just doesn't make sense. I feel like there's something missing, and it's making me even more uncomfortable. I don't want to hang around this place any longer than I have to. The sooner I can get out, the better. The next chance I get I'll need to talk to Jim and see how he's going with his preparations. I may need to rely on my fellow reincarnators to enact our daring escape before things here escalate even further.
I don't dare wait and hope that the Colony will find me. The distance is great and the direction unknown. Even if they're all working hard, and I'm sure that they are, it's too much to ask that they would be able to find me and set me free. No, even if they found me, I'm not sure I'd want them exposing themselves. I've no idea how the nutters in this cult would react to intelligent ants, and beyond that, I don't want to bring the wrath of the Golgari empire down on my family. Even with all of the promise and strength that the Colony has shown, I don't think we'd be able to survive.
Granted I haven't seen exactly how large or powerful the supposed Golgari civilisation is, but I don't feel like taking any risks. Until I know otherwise, I need to assume it can't be handled by us ants.
Putting all that aside, what do I need to do now? Mutate baby! I've got a whole pile of Biomass stored up after two successful fights and managing to consume the remains of the Creeper has given me quite a number to work with and I intend to DO WORK. In total I have a whopping five hundred and ten Biomass to spend. These monsters are packed full of juicy goodness and the further we go in this mad tournament the juicier they get. They're like pinatas filled with candy that lets me improve myself. Eating through all of these monsters is netting me levels and Biomass at a pretty heft pace, which is good! I'd just rather get it done with less risk. Risk is bad.
So what to spend it on?! Excitement is real! I can feel my heart all aflutter! Time to dig into those menus! First thing first, I need to work out what to upgrade. So far the only things I've managed to max out at +25 are my Carapace, Plating, Stomach and Regeneration Gland. There's a heck of a lot left to go. My mandibles are probably a top priority, increasing my offensive power could do with a boost. Although my magic has proven to be the decisive factor so far. Perhaps I should go with my coordination cortex? Improving the performance of my brains would also assist with my training speed, since I'd be able to cast more spells more rapidly.
That seems intelligent! Let's go with that then!
Quickly bringing up the menu, I peruse the options as I think about the direction I've taken my coordination cortex so far. The first two mutations focused on improving the brain's ability to work independently, then I improved their ability to work together and fused it. For the +20 upgrade, I took the Indomitable option, which allowed the coordination cortex to help spread the load of mental strain across my minds to prolong my ability to work for an extended time under stress. When combined with my Collective Will Vestibule, if I ever get back in range of the Colony, I might be able to keep slinging spells forever.
Which had worked well, I have to say. My sub-brains get put through a lot of work, no slacking for them! Letting my coordination cortex help lighten the burden has been good, and I think I'm willing to go further down that line of mutation, especially given my current circumstances. Perhaps next time I evolve, I need to look for something that might give me some of that synergy along these lines. If I can make my brains work harder for longer that'll have a tremendous increase in my magical Skills training speed.
Browsing down the menu, I can't see anything that particularly grabs my eye. In the end, I settle on an option that extends from Indomitable, Unyielding. This option will allow me to push my minds even further. That's 115 Biomass down the gurgler. What's next?
-x-X-x-
The mutation wagon stops for no ant! With one choice locked in it's time to go for the next one, and I think I have just the thing. I thought about it when I was considering my last upgrade, namely my Vestibule. I haven't wanted to upgrade this organ since I'm out of range of the Colony and it provides no benefit to me, but I had an idea. The first upgrade I picked gave me extended range with the organ, which was great. What if I keep mutating it and extending the range each time? It's only +5 right now, and the distance it can reach is significant, beyond a kilometre. Extend the range at +10, consolidate it at +15 and then take range-extending mutations at +20 and +25, just how far will it reach? As much as ten kilometres?
If the Colony does end up coming to find me, this will make it SO much more straightforward. I can sense them when they come in range, and although I never confirmed it, I'm pretty sure that they can tell as well. Even if they can't, being able to know when they are close will help me time my escape and find my way back to them. It won't help me in combat at all, but it could be critical when the time comes.
My heart aches a little for the other upgrades that I'll be giving up. Increased regeneration being the juiciest of those. I haven't had an in-depth look through that menu, and right now, I can't bring myself to do it. It's just going to hurt me when I see options that I can' take due to my circumstances. Stupid Cultists! Just another reason to get mad at these crazy rock people.
I smash through the menus as fast as I can and lock in the range extending options through to +25, not allowing my eyes to take in anything else. I don't see you, incredible options! I don't see you at alllllll!
*Sob*.
I hate this. But what's done is done. It was the right thing to do. Just like that another THREE HUNDRED AND TEN Biomass is gone. Argh! It hurts! It hurts so bad! Dammit Gandalf, these prices are painful. You cut me to the quick! That's 420 gone so far. With only ninety left, I don't have enough to take an organ to +25, so I close down the menu and confirm my options.
[Do you wish to upgrade your Indomitable Coordination Cortex +20 to Unyielding Coordination Cortex +25 and Ranged Collective Will Vestibule +5 to Endless Collective Will Vestibule +25? This will cost 420 Biomass.]
Confirm it! Let me ascend to a higher plane!
...
FTAGN!
Gah!
I recover from the itching after thirty minutes and give myself a shake. I have to say that the Collective Will Vestibule is a particularly itchy thing to mutate. The weird flesh crystal just gives out a different sensation, it's odd, I don't know how to explain it correctly. Let's just say I hate it and move on. What's my reward for going through the uncomfortable sensation of mutation? More training! Whoo!
That's not strictly true, though, because, after several more hours of pointless grinding, Corun arrives through the main doors with a welcome surprise.
[Tiny!]
[Grah!]
When the gate swings open I'm greeted by the sight of a large, hairy gorilla with a broad grin on his bat featured face. Not the kind of creature to hold back, Tiny runs into my small chamber and tries to pick me up in a broad hug. Sadly for him, I'm no longer that much smaller than him, also he's a lot taller than me, so all that happens is he squashes one of my legs with his brawny arm.
[Ouch! What are you doing, Tiny!? That stings man!]
His enthusiasm seems undimmed however and he starts slapping me on the back with his massive hands until I manage to shoo him off me.
[Alright, alright you big dumb ape, I'm happy to see you too!]
It's nice to see the big guy again, and since his face is beaming still with that broad grin, I'm guessing he reciprocates. Even after I push off me he doesn't want to separate too far and keeps a hand on my shiny back.
[He's been wanting to come in here for ages,] chuckles Corun, [he doesn't like settling down much, does he? I had to take him out hunting yesterday just so he could blow off some stress.]
I'm immediately worried.
[Is that safe? He's not going to get picked up by more of your helpful Cultist friends or anything is he?]
The young Shaper raises both of his hands up, palms towards me in a calming gesture.
[It's all good, Anthony. The Cult knows he's here, how else do you think I was able to get him in here? They aren't interested in him; they just wanted to make sure he wasn't causing problems, alright? It's okay.]
Well, that's a relief. I pat Tiny on the arm with one antenna.
[You wanted to get out and stretch your legs, Tiny? Good on you buddy. I can't believe you lasted as long as you did.]
He gives me a sorrowful look and grunts sadly. Looks like he had a rough time.
[Corun, could you do me a favour and take Tiny out a few more times? He needs to fight and evolve as soon as possible. I'm hoping it'll help deal with his Shadow poison trouble.]
Running my senses through Tiny, I can tell that his 'issue' is still very much a reality. The Shadow mana doesn't seem to have worn itself out, if anything it's grown more aggressive, wrecking its way through his body and damaging his internals everywhere it went.
I hit him with a heal reflexively, but while it cures his injuries, it does nothing to deal with the poisonous mana itself. Corun notices my efforts and grimaces.
[Yeah, I've been healing him pretty much non-stop while Torrina and Granin have been in here helping you. It's been a massive pain in the rock, to be honest. My healing mana Skill is rising at a solid pace, which is nice, but I haven't had a good night's sleep in a week!]
[That's rough man. Imagine your body was being ripped up from the inside instead. I wonder how'd that go?]
[I take your point. I'll make getting Tiny out for hunting a priority. Since we can't solve the issue through conventional means, it might be possible that his evolution will solve the problem. I might talk to Granin about it actually. He might know something relevant.]
The prospect of frequent hunting and evolution has pushed Tiny toward a delirious level of joy. His grin looks like it's going to split his face and happiness is radiating out of his eyes.
[Oh! Right! Wait for a second Tiny, I have something for you!]
I turn and rummage through my pile of resources and drag out a glowing, spherical gem—quite a sizeable one.
[This is a rare core I made for you! Fuse with it now so you're ready for your evolution!]
He doesn't look quite as happy now...