Sarah settled herself down, anxiety bubbling away in her chest. Was she sure this was the right thing to do? Was she really? Ever present, the fear in the back of her mind slowly crept forward as she worried and fretted about the transformation she was about to undertake. What would happen if she lost control again? Was she really strong enough to maintain her grip on herself?
Calm down, Sarah, she told herself, you're doing so much better than before, and you've been given several methods to help prevent the rages. You can do this.
A giant ant scuttled into the chamber and she felt a mind reach out toward her own.
[Hey there, Sarah! Getting cold paws already?]
[I am not,] she said, perhaps a little too quickly, and Anthony chuckled in her mind.
[No harm intended, I just thought I'd poke a little fun. Was the triad helpful? They tend to natter on a bit, but they know their stuff.]
Sarah snorted.
[Do they natter on, or is your attention span just a little too short?]
[Ouch. That hits a little close to home.]
[And yes, they were very helpful. I learned a great deal about my species that I didn't know before.]
The two massive antennae waggled in a confused pattern.
[You were hanging out with Shapers for decades. Didn't they fill you in on all the details then?]
Sarah was a little embarrassed but forced herself to answer.
[I… didn't really want to listen… back then. I thought I was finally free of the Dungeon, and would never have to worry about such things again. They did try to teach me, but I was… a very unwilling student, I suppose.]
Anthony watched her for a few seconds before he spoke.
[I just want you to remember two things,] he said, gently. [First, you don't have to do this if you don't want to. Just as you are, you can contribute, and have contributed, a great deal. There's no pressure on you to take this step. Second, you're part of the Colony now, a member of the family. You are free of the Dungeon, if you want to be.]
He reached over with one foreleg and patted her on the shoulder.
[If you want to, you can go relax, hang out with the Queens and take up carving or something. Nobody in the Colony will ever say a word against you after all that you've done for us. Even if you evolve and it doesn't work out, that's fine. You can rest, never see a battlefield for the rest of your life.]
Sarah hung her head, tears beading in her large, brown eyes.
[Thank you, Anthony. It means a lot to hear you say that.]
The ant rubbed the back of his head with one antenna awkwardly.
[Yeah, well. It needed to be said… I guess? Look, you've got everything you need… so I'll just… be going. Bye.]
She could only laugh as her fellow former-human made a hasty retreat, before she scrubbed her eyes clear with a paw and pulled closer the mythic core she had left here.
Absorbing it was agonising. She had forgotten this pain, the feeling of having a core too large for the body that contained it.
With a determined push, she shoved aside the pain and activated the menu.
[Would you like to use the evolution menu?]
[Congratulations on reaching the maximum level for your current species. Evolution will allow you to change your form and increase your stats as a monster.
Warning: evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.
Your evolution options are as follows:
Ursine Rager
Dire Bear
Fire Claw Bear (special)
Endless Rage Bear (special)
Flamesteel Berserk Bear (rare)
Destruction Dire Bear (rare)
Awakened Asura Bear (Mythic)]
Each of the options sounded exceptionally violent, not exactly what Sarah had been hoping to see, yet she'd known it would be like this from the start.
The golgari had strongly advised her to ignore regular and special evolutions, and warned her a mythic option may not appear. The fact one was on the list made her nervous.
She started with the first rare option.
[Rare Evolution: Flamesteel Berserk Bear (rare), +50 Bonus to Will, +250 Bonus to Might, +200 Bonus to Toughness. Fur will be reforged with Smokesteel fibres, and veins will be replaced with Fire Crystal Thread. A free Ignition Heart will be placed next to the Rage heart, the two bonded together.
A creature of fire, metal and pure rage, the Flamesteel Berserk Bear is an unstoppable juggernaut of death, with liquid flame running through its veins.]
That sounded… terrifying. Sarah had a brief vision of herself, coated in dark steel fur, flames leaking out of her open wounds and claws extended, her eyes blank with anger.
She shivered. Surely the next option was better.
[Rare Evolution: Destruction Dire Bear (rare), +20 Bonus to Cunning, +50 Bonus to Will, +250 Bonus to Might, +150 bonus to Toughness. Eyes will be reforged with Withering Diamond and Teeth will be reforged with Annihilation Threaded Bone. A Destruction Heart will be placed alongside and fused with the Rage heart, and a Vital Point sensory organ placed within the nose.
Able to sniff out the weaknesses of its enemies, the Destruction Dire Bear is an engine of annihilation, able to break down opponents with its eyes, or shred their very existence with its jaws. Filled with the power of pure destruction, this is a creature to be feared.]
This one was even worse! Longingly, she looked at the two normal options. Dire Bear didn't sound all that bad to her right now. Surely, it would be fine if she picked it. She'd still be tier seven, after all.
With extreme reluctance, she turned her attention back to the mythic option, and read through it.
[Mythic Evolution: Awakened Asura Bear, +10 Bonus to Cunning, +50 Bonus to Will, +300 Bonus to Might, +150 bonus to Toughness. The Asura Bear feeds on Rage, and you have supplied it. Now let your anger ascend and your fury be made manifest. Fur will be reforged with Tempered Fury Thread. Eyes will be reforged with Condensed Rage Shards. A second Rage Heart will be placed alongside and fused with the first, transforming it into a Rage Foundry. A secondary vascular system will be added.
Clothe yourself in Fury, and destroy.]
This one was the worst. By far the worst. Sarah didn't want to be a creature of death and destruction, she hated the anger and fear that bubbled inside her, a constant undercurrent of turmoil that she could never be free of. Yet, even so, this evolution spoke to her.
It offered her the chance to take that anger and make it real, to turn it into something productive, something pure, something that would help her new family. Perhaps… perhaps if she was able to implement all the things that Granin and the others had talked about, she would still be able to control herself. If she couldn't… then like Anthony said, perhaps she wouldn't have to fight at all.
It was time to accept that her fury, her rage, was a part of her. It belonged to her, and she would no longer let it be in control. She would clothe herself in fury, she would wear it like armour.
She looked at the option, her heart pounding in her chest. She selected it.
-x-X-x-
[Alright then, who's going next?] I ask the gang.
Invidia watches the others, and the second Tiny's arm goes up, his does too.
[Me,] Tiny says simply.
[Meeeeee,] Invidia hisses. [I wantssss it.]
I wish I could roll my eyes.
[You only want it because he wants it,] I point at Tiny with one leg. [Don't try and trick me, you waited until somebody else put their hand up before you nominated yourself.]
[It isssss my nature,] Invidia says, and I can't really argue with that.
It is his nature. He's an envy demon, he wants what others have, or others want. If nobody wanted to go next, then he wouldn't either. The moment someone expressed a desire for it, he wanted it too.
Man, what a tiring way to live, but the little flapping demon seems content enough, most of the time.
[Alright, fine. You can go next, Invidia. I said Sarah could go, because she'd waited the longest to evolve, and you are the next on that list.]
Tiny slumps, frowning at me.
[It won't take long, big guy. Besides, I've got to do a little modification to your core anyways. Get ready to lose some muscle! You're going to 30 Cunning, and you aren't allowed to take it lower, you hear me!]
Tiny slumps even further, gently flexing his biceps, a sad expression on his face, as Invidia flutters up, his eye gleaming with green light, and makes his way into the chamber.
~~~
[It's not easy dealing with demons around these issues, so I appreciate your patience, Invidia.]
Granin nods towards the little demon, who is perched on the back of a regular chair, his two spindly arms holding him up.
[We've looked at your core, and I have to say, it's a finely engineered piece of work. The shapers who created it did an excellent job maximising the strengths and mitigating the weaknesses of the Envy Demon archetype. There are several efficiencies in there that I'd never thought of myself.]
Invidia was quite pleased to hear it, though it was difficult for him to truly value that which he had. Granin held up a hand.
[I know, you don't especially care, but it's important that we discuss the strengths you possess before we talk about what you might be offered and give advice as to how you should proceed. You do want advice, don't you?]
[I wantsssss,] Invidia agreed, his eye lighting up.
Granin smiled to himself. In many ways, demons were like children, they had strong, easily manipulatable impulses. On the other hand, they were intelligent, in Invidia's case, highly intelligent, and extremely dangerous. Invidia knew he was being manipulated, was fully aware that Granin was playing on his obsession, but because it led to an outcome he desired, he didn't mind it.
[You were essentially designed as a mage archetype, with extremely high mana manipulation and sensing capacity built into your organ setup. Mana-manipulation cortex, Grand Mana sensory organ, Mana Filament finder, combined with your Omni-Divergent Thought Brain and Layered Neural Adaptor making your ability to use mind-constructs top-notch. With your capacity to pull in so much mana via your wings and mouth, you've got quite the magical firepower.]
[Not to mention the eye-beam!] Corun enthused. When the others looked at him oddly he returned a wounded expression. [What? The eye-beam is really neat.]
[In order to pack all of those expensive mana organs in, they had to forgo something, and you've had no resets at the sixth tier, which is a slight issue,] Torrina said, looking down at her notes. [Something you'll have to consider is what you want to reset, and how many things. I strongly recommend your brain and neural adaptor be reforged, at the minimum.]
[You may wish to include your Mana Manipulation Cortex and Mana Sensory Organ as well,] Corun advised.
This was all interesting to Invidia. Born of an engineered core, he had never evolved under his own power, perhaps only his Master would be so strange as to allow it. A tier six pet, making its own choices as it ascended to tier seven? Invidia doubted such a thing was common. Although he already possessed that freedom, it was something he cherished.
[The big decision you'll have to make is more inherent to your nature as a demon,] Granin said finally. [This goes right at the heart of your obsession. Currently, you're a Lesser Envy Demon, and naturally, one of your options will be to evolve into a Greater Envy Demon, and there will likely be other Envy-based evolutions as well. However, if you so desire, you have the option to change that, and shift your species, and your obsession, in a different direction.]
Invidia looked at his status once again, his mind drawn to the Skill that only his kind, in all of the Dungeon, possessed: Demonic Convergence.
Currently it read: Demonic Convergence of Envy (IV) Level 40.
It had been there for a long time, but he hadn't wanted to increase its rank. Every time it levelled, and every time it ranked up, the obsession grew stronger, more concentrated, more potent. More difficult to change. The issue Invidia had was, he wasn't sure if he wanted to change or not. His Envy was part of his fundamental nature, as much a part of him as his wings and hands. Yet his envy demanded that he prize what he didn't have, and so he wanted it to change, he wanted to have every obsession, but that simply wasn't possible.
Granin somewhat understood what the little eyeball was going through.
[Demons usually grow to a point naturally, their obsession and nature being honed along the way, but you were forced down this path. Envy demons are excellent pets, since they're so trainable. They want to get stronger and learn. Your basic nature is locked in place, you'll always be envious to some extent, but as demons evolve, they can refine that obsession, hone it. Rather than being envious of everything, you could narrow and intensify that focus. Well, to an extent. The options presented will be the options presented, and you will have to choose from them.]
Invidia nodded and revealed his enormous mouth in a wide smile, the toothy grin appearing in mid air beneath his body.
[I thankssss you for the advice. I willsssss consider your wordssssss.]
The real question was, what sort of demon did Invidia want to be?
-x-X-x-
[Here's your core, little guy. Sheesh, this thing is about the same size as you.]
The master rolled the mythic core up to Invidia using one foreleg, letting it rest on the chamber floor right in front of him. The demon looked down at the spherical gem, seeing the powerful flows of mana within and around it.
He wanted it.
[I know, I know, almost all of your body is stuffed into a pocket dimension, I get it. Even so, it's going to hurt like heck when you absorb that thing, so be careful. Was it helpful? Talking to the golgari, I mean?]
Invidia considered the question seriously.
[Yessss,] he hissed after a pause. [I learned much I didsssss not knowsssss.]
The master's eyes glinted, pleased.
[Nice, I'm glad you were able to pick up a few things. They know a heck of a lot more than me, that's for sure. Is there anything else you need? Something I can get for you, before you take the plunge?]
Again, the little demon took a moment to think, his gigantic brain turning the question over with care.
[I havessss a question.]
The master froze for a moment, then waggled his antennae nervously.
[Oh? Of course, ask away. I'll answer as best I can.]
The master lacked confidence, and thought Invidia was going to ask an esoteric question he couldn't answer. Invidia thought he might be right. He himself didn't have an answer to this question, but if anyone did, it was the ant in front of him.
[What ssssort of demon isssss Invidia?] he asked.
The master slowly rubbed at the top of his head with one antenna, an air of confusion around him.
[You don't know?] he asked, sounding puzzled.
Invidia shook his head.
[I am notssss ssssure.]
The big ant reached out a single leg to poke at one of his spindly arms.
[That's an easy one. I thought you were going to ask me something hard.]
[You havesss an anssswer?]
The little demon was quite surprised.
[Of course! It's not difficult. You want to know what type of demon you are? That's just asking the wrong question. You're one of a kind, unique. There is no 'type' that fits you.]
Invidia frowned, confused. His master tried to explain.
[Look, you aren't going to find a box to fit yourself into, that's not how it works. Demons may share obsessions, but that doesn't make them the same. Each of you is different from the others, and the further you evolve, the more pronounced those differences become. Don't fret about making the right choice, and just pick what feels correct to you. No matter what happens, you're always going to be part of the team, part of the family.]
The big ant turned and began to walk out of the chamber.
[You've got way too a big a brain to be worrying about such irrelevant stuff, little guy. Get to evolving already! I'll meet you on the other side.]
Invidia remained still, pondering what the master had said for several long minutes. He was unique? He had never felt unique. How was he supposed to know if he was or not? Was there a method?
Ultimately, he pushed such concerns aside, something else the master had said resonating with him much more strongly. Regardless of what happened, he would have a place, he would be a part of something larger than himself.
It was something he already possessed, but Invidia treasured it all the same.
[Would you like to use the evolution menu?]
[Congratulations on reaching the maximum level for your current species. Evolution will allow you to change your form and increase your stats as a monster.
Warning: evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.
Your evolution options are as follows:
·?Greater Demon of Envy
·?Demon of Desire
·?Demon of Gluttony
·?Eye Demon of Spite (special)
·?Watcher of Endless Envy (special)
·?Vacuum of Want (special)
·?Green Eyed Beholder (rare)
·?Lesser Watchdemon of Possession (rare)
·?Gaze Demon of Approbation (rare)
No mythic option. Invidia was disappointed. He had wanted it ever since his master had achieved such an evolution, but he'd known such a thing was unlikely for him. At his next evolution, he had a much higher chance, especially if he chose wisely now.
As expected, variations of his obsession appeared, and even at the lower ranks, he had the ability to change the direction of his obsession entirely. Invidia had no desire to spend an entire evolution turning himself into a gluttony or desire demon. As his master had said, he would refine who he already was, that course of action felt the most natural.
He aimed his attention directly at the rare evolutions. It was from these three he would make his selection.
[Rare Evolution: Green Eyed Beholder (rare). +100 Bonus to Cunning. +100 Bonus to Will. +20 Bonus to Toughness. A creature of powerful Envy that desires all it sees, and sees all. The mind and the will to reach for everything. The Eye of Envy will be reforged into Allsight Jade (warning, this will reset all mutations), and two further Eyes of Envy will be added. A Condensed Will Accumulator of Soul Crystal will be granted for free.]
See all, be envious of all. Invidia wanted it. A powerful new version of an Envy demon, greater than he already was. The added brain matter was valuable, as was the added Will. With the accumulator, he would be a force to be reckoned with, able to direct the flow of mana and impose his version of reality with indomitable strength.
[Rare Evolution: Lesser Watchdemon of Possession (rare). +120 Bonus to Cunning, +80 Bonus to Will. +20 Bonus to Toughness. It is not what others have, but what you can take from them and hold that truly matters. The Lesser Watchdemon can see even into the hearts of its foes, and can take what they wish. You must specify that which you seek to possess. Eye of Envy will be reforged into Luminous Sapphire (warning, this will reset all mutations). A Spirit Sight Gem of Soul Crystal will be granted for free. A Possession Engine Demon Silica will be added for free.]
Intriguing. No longer obsess over that which he did not have, but that which he had successfully taken from others? A more active obsession, rather than a more passive one. It was a change, but did it feel natural?
[Rare Evolution: Gaze Demon of Approbation (rare). +80 Bonus to Cunning, +120 Bonus to Will. +20 Bonus to Toughness. Appreciation, Applause, Goodwill. You hunger for approval and you will have it, no matter the cost. Eye of Envy will be reforged into Burning Ruby (warning, this will reset all mutations). An Emotion Maw of Red-Void matter will be granted for free. A Goodwill Drain of Soul Crystal will be added for free.]
Another interesting choice. Invidia blinked his one green eye as he considered each choice carefully. There would be a lot of work in the manual evolution screens, no matter which he selected. He needed to reset his brain and neural adaptor as well, possibly his Mana Manipulation Cortex too, which would take a good chunk of evolutionary energy, but would set him up for his next evolution better. Hopefully a mythic.
But now… which option drew him in? Which did he want the most?
Of course, he wanted all of them, but he would still have to choose.
The more he considered, the more he was drawn to the second option. Of the evolutions before him, it was the only one which gave him the freedom to shape his own obsession. To hone it himself, as many other demons had, such as the knowledge demon, Allocrix.
Also, it was strong. A lesser form at tier seven beckoned a greater form at tier eight. That increased his chances of mythic evolution.
But what was it that he wished to possess the most? Invidia had spent all of his existence as an Envy demon wanting everything, without exception. Of all the things he'd wanted, which did he truly wish to possess?
He thought of his master. He thought of the freedom that had been given to him. He smiled, a frightening, toothy maw splitting the air beneath his fluttering frame.
Yessssss. Your friendssssship. I will havesssss it!
-x-X-x-
[Hold still, Tiny! You'll get back everything you lose and more in a minute!]
With his lower lip jutting out stubbornly, Tiny continues to wiggle back and forth, trying to avoid the touch of my antennae. Watching the big ape roll around like a potato in the sink would be amusing any other time, but when I'm trying to modify his core, it's just plain irritating!
Could I pin him down? Sure I could. Could I order him to hold still? Obviously, yes. Rather than force him, though, I want him to accept the modification of his own free will. He knows it's good for him, he just hates to lose any flexing power, even for a moment.
Damn stubborn idiot!
[Sorry about this, Crinis, looks like you're up next. I'm going to have to sit down with the big ape and have a conversation. A long, boring conversation.]
With an audible groan, Tiny slumps to the side, but still manages to scoot away from my feelers.
[A-are you sure, Master?] Crinis says, startled.
[Of course. I have every confidence in you. You're going to do great!]
[I'll do my best!]
~~~
[Crinis, I don't mind sharing with you that of all the monsters I've studied or worked on over the years, you are by far one of the most terrifying.]
[That's very kind of you.]
[I thought you'd say that,] the big golgari sighed. [I have to say, viewed through the lens of my training and work with cores over the centuries, your build is a mess of inefficiencies.]
[Oh… is that bad?]
[Well, normally it would be. Your methods for defeating your enemies are needlessly… let's say brutal. The TTK, or time to kill, ratio on your attacks is high, really high, which is something we usually like to avoid.]
[Think about Anthony's Void Chomp,] Torrina interjected. [Very high damage, relatively low wind up time.]
[The flip side of that, your theoretical DPM, or damage per minute, which is a calculation of how much damage you are able to do over time, is astronomically high.]
[For a comparison, we could look at Anthony's gravity bomb. Long wind up time, relatively long lasting effect, highly dangerous throughout its duration.]
[Even though each individual strike you make is relatively weak, you are making many of them at once, and it all adds up. Your uptime is quite good also, the length of time you can maintain your peak performance, though not nearly as good as your master's, for obvious reasons.]
Of course not. Her Master was special. Always had been.
She sat, as condensed as possible, into a ball of darkness in the centre of the chair across the desk from Granin. Despite her blindness, the big golgari made a point to lean over the table so he could look at her as they conversed.
[I guess what I'm driving at is that your design is unconventional, yet effective. It was Anthony who made the initial modifications to your core?]
[It was,] she confirmed.
[He did a surprisingly good job. Corun, do you have the report?]
Corun scratched at the back of his head as he read through the paper in front of him.
[I do. I've honestly never even heard of an 'Immaterial Mind Breaker' before, and I couldn't find one in the Colony records either. I think the Crinis Inanis base species is relatively new, which limits our data somewhat. However, we do know something about your mutations and organs. Immaterial Flesh is a bit of a thing, to start with. I'm going to assume you're fully accustomed to it now?]
Crinis bobbed her upper half in what she hoped was an approximation of a nod.
[Yes. Though it was quite difficult, at first.]
[I can imagine. Effectively, you can move through solid objects, but the price you pay in mana to do so is staggeringly high. Your rather unique build has helped to mitigate this issue, since you can send through a single limb, or a portion of your body, a lot more easily than, say, I could. Even so, I'm going to assume maintaining the immaterial state for any length of time has been too costly.]
Again, Crinis bobbed a nod.
[Yes, it has. During the wave, it wasn't as much of a problem, due to all the energy I could pull in, but now I'll find it difficult to use again.]
[It's not that big of an issue,] he assured her, [so long as you address it in this evolution. There are a myriad of organs you can purchase, or mutations, that will assist with absorbing mana. We saw from your core that you've been diligent in training your mana manipulation Skills, which is excellent, but without a dedicated caster build, it won't be enough on its own.]
He checked his page.
[The… uh… Soul Seeker Cilia…] he began reluctantly, then looked pleadingly at Granin, who nodded. Relieved, Corun turned to the next sheet.
[You've done a great job working on your senses without resorting to purchasing eyes of any kind. Your mana detection organs are excellent, though could probably do with a reset. In extremely high mana environments, such as the lower strata, your current organs may struggle due to the overwhelming amount of energy. There are further additions you could make to strengthen this 'vision', which you've already done, specifically with shadows.]
[Your commitment to shadow magic is commendable and works well with the rest of your build,] Torrina chips in, [It may be worth going back and investing in a shadow magic conversion gland since you're capable of producing shadow mana on your own. Remember, shadow mana can be turned into Immaterial Flesh, though it isn't very efficient. Reserves of mana can be used to replenish your body in a pinch.]
Corun nodded.
[That's a point that needs considering. You don't have any healing built into your build, per se, but rather replace what you lost, usually through the consumption of Biomass. That's not a problem, but there are a few things we can do to give that process a boost. Make it more cost effective, and give you more ways to replace what you've lost, such as Torrina's shadow mana idea.]
He frowns.
[The other recommendation I would make is that you reset the barbs on your tentacles. As your main offensive weapon, they are seriously lagging behind. I'm sure you've already found it difficult to cut into many monsters in the fourth?]
Crinis had indeed been having a hard time rending her opponents down as she wished.
[That is true,] she confirmed. [The FILTH that DARE TO APPROACH… ahem. I apologise. Yes.]
Corun nods… slowly.
[A reset there would be valuable, then. More… cutting power, will make your primary mode of attack much more effective.]
-x-X-x-
Master approached, an enormous core held firmly in his mandibles.
[Hey there, Crinis! Hope the consultation went well. Did the rock-heads have some good suggestions for you?]
Crinis writhed her tentacles happily as the giant ant approached and placed the core down in front of her.
[They did. Though I don't think you should talk about them that way. I get the feeling they wouldn't like it.]
[Bah. Granin gets mad no matter what I say to him. Ignoring them, I'm glad you were actually willing to correct me on my poor behaviour! That's a step forward in your quest for independence!]
Held in a small ball with only a dozen or so limbs out, Crinis' body froze in shock.
[Oh my goodness! I'm sorry!]
[And you addressed me without saying 'Master'! Smashing out the milestones one after another now, Crinis!]
[AHHHHHH!]
Her master folded his legs with a sigh and poked the quivering lump of immaterial flesh that was her with one antenna.
[You know you don't have to call me 'master', I've never once asked you to, right? I have a name, just call me Anthony. Well, when you're ready, I suppose. I don't expect you to completely change your attitude overnight.]
[W-w-w-what are you saying, Master? Why would I want to change? You deserve my respect!]
[Look, if you don't want to change, you don't have to, I don't really mind. Call me whatever you want. You've been a good and loyal friend to me for a long time now, you've earned at least that much.]
Her Master gave her a final poke with one leg.
[The whole point is that you become independent enough that you do what you want to do, rather than what you think I want you to do. Now hurry up and absorb this core, you need to evolve! I'm kind of excited to see the result, I've not seen this far in your core's evolutionary path, so I've got no clue what might happen. No doubt, it's going to be something awesome!]
At those words, Crinis felt an odd sensation around her core, but truly, she didn't understand it. What she wanted? She wanted to serve her master, the one who had brought her into this life by using a core. It wasn't any mystery, there wasn't any doubt, not for Crinis, of how or why she'd come into this world. She was a pet, and she felt that bond to her Master deeply. Unlike what he appeared to expect, she didn't resent it, not in the slightest. In fact, she embraced it.
[Am I not allowed to stay the way I am?] she asked quietly.
Halfway to the exit, Anthony turned around.
[Crinis, you can do whatever the heck you want to do, and I'll support you. That's what friends do.]
Then he was gone.
[Would you like to use the evolution menu?]
[Congratulations on reaching the maximum level for your current species. Evolution will allow you to change your form and increase your stats as a monster.
Warning: evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.
Your evolution options are as follows:
Mind Shredder
Immaterial Grasper
Mind Sculptor (special)
Void Render (special)
Thing Between (rare)
Dweller In Darkness (rare)
Cerebral Infector (rare)
She had hoped, desperately hoped, that she would have a Mythic option, as her Master had, but it appeared it wasn't to be. Perhaps her species simply didn't merit such an option at the seventh tier.
She raised two tentacles and clenched the ends in determination. If she couldn't become a mythic monster at the seventh tier, she definitely would at the eighth. She would stand alongside the person she admired eventually, no matter how much effort or pain she needed to endure to get there!
Although, by that time, perhaps he would already have evolved into something beyond her reach….
There was no need to be downcast, this was a great occasion! Even if she couldn't achieve a mythic evolution, she would once again be on the same tier as her Master. So long as she wasn't a burden, she was happy.
There were three rare evolutions to examine, so she looked at each in turn.
[Rare Evolution: Thing Between (rare). +70 Bonus to Cunning, +70 Bonus to Will, +80 Bonus to Toughness, +80 Bonus to Might. Already, the physical word has but a tenuous grasp on you. To the Thing Between, even those flimsy chains are broken. Go where you will, and bring harm to that place. Tentacles will be reforged into Phantasmal Matter (warning, this will reset all mutations). Shade Phase Organ will be reforged into Universal Phase Organ (warning, this will reset all mutations). A Dimensional Weave Eye will be added for free.]
This evolution was interesting. Crinis quite enjoyed her unconventional movement. Already, she could slip through shadows in a limited fashion, and also pass through solid matter, though at an exorbitant cost. Were she to choose this evolution, she would become even less tethered to physical limitations.
With the last of her tentacles changed from shadow flesh, no major part of her body would remain completely physical except her core and organs. She could do a lot with that sort of freedom, reach many places others would much rather she couldn't get to….
Tempting.
[Rare Evolution: Dweller In Darkness (rare). +60 Bonus to Cunning, +60 Bonus to Will, +120 Bonus to Toughness, +120 Bonus to Might. A creature of shadow now rises to become something more. No longer be at home in the darkness, become the darkness. Tri-Legion Tentacles will be reforged into Darkness Flesh (warning, this will reset all mutations). Shadow Eye will be reforged into Vanishing Darkness Eye (warning, this will reset all mutations). A Light Annihilator gland will be added for free.]
Another interesting choice. She'd worked hard at her ability to control and manipulate Shadows, but now this evolution promised to lead her down a more powerful path. Not shadow, darkness. How would the properties of Darkness Flesh and Immaterial work together, if at all? Perhaps she would need to consult the golgari again….
She liked this option. It was another angle toward getting the power she desired, another shape in which she could grow. What of the last?
[Rare Evolution: Cerebral Infector (rare). +100 Bonus to Cunning, +100 Bonus to Will, +40 Bonus to Toughness, +40 Bonus to Might. The mind is a malleable thing, you know this already. The Cerebral Infector does not simply break minds, it shatters them, then recreates them in it's image. Thought Scraper Talons will be granted for free. Spirit Scalpels will be granted for free. Terror Injector will be granted for free.]
Now this tantalised Crinis. She delighted in terrifying her foes, in making them run, in breaking them. It was a fitting punishment, in her opinion, for those creatures daring to raise their claws against her Master.
Cruel, some might say. She believed her cause was just, and that was all that mattered to her. However, did she want to continue down this path? Was that all she wanted to be?
She wrapped her tentacles around herself and pondered.
If she were being honest, and her master had encouraged her to be true to herself, then shredding the minds of her foes was… a hobby, a side interest, not her true purpose.
Her true purpose was to be useful to her Master, not to fall behind him, and be by his side. She would protect him. No matter what.
To that end, which of these evolutions would grant her the power she needed? Not desired, needed. Her master had many foes, and would have many more before he was done.
She considered once more The Dweller In Darkness.
That was, after all, where she felt most comfortable.
-x-X-x-
[There you go, Tiny. Now you are the most intelligent ape you've ever been.]
He looks at me, bat features drooping miserably.
[It's not that bad! You are being absolutely ridiculous. I took what, twenty points of Might and juiced up your brain. You'll probably get two hundred Might or more in your next evolution. Knowing you, more.]
The big ape flexes sadly, poking at his bicep with one, thick finger.
[I didn't even take it from your arms, you big dope. I took the bulk of it from your legs and glutes.]
If anything, he looks even more distraught now, his eyes widening with shock, then narrowing as tears begin to build in the corners. Disgusted with him, I send him off to the golgari.
[I've had enough of this absurd nonsense. Get in there and have your consultation, then manually evolve. That's an order! And you may not lower your Cunning below thirty this time. That's also an order! Now shoo!]
~~~
Tiny was very grateful to his master. It was Anthony, after all, who had done so much to keep him alive, and if he wasn't alive, Tiny wouldn't be able to hit things.
That would be bad.
However, his master really didn't understand where power came from. The legs? The glutes? They gave so much lift! Without shifting his weight and using the oomph granted by his legs, he couldn't generate punches nearly as large!
He didn't know why that was the case, but he knew it was.
Perhaps he should make sure to spend his new Might on his rump. Really pump the area up. But then his shoulders and arms!
Tiny frowned. Evolving was fun, but was much harder than it needed to be. Thinking about all the decisions he would need to make made his head hurt.
[Hey there, big guy. You with us?]
Tiny nodded, still frowning, and Granin laughed.
[Look, I can tell you've got a lot on your plate. We'll try and simplify everything as much as possible for you.]
That was good. Simple was good. Simple like a clean straight right.
[Last time, you reset your bones, correct?]
Tiny flashed a quick thumbs up. He had indeed reforged his bones to become sturdier, then mutated them to become sturdier again! Now even he couldn't break them he didn't think.
[Right. This time around, you're going to want to focus on your musculature. Your muscles. Even if you aren't offered a free reforge for them, it's important that you make sure you do it yourself. Understand?]
The big ape scoffed. Even if they didn't tell him to, he was always going to reforge his muscles. He'd only done his bones first because these three had told him his body would tear itself apart otherwise.
A smaller one stepped forward.
[You should also consider making your ligaments mutable. These are the tendons that connect your muscles to your bones. If you improve your strength without also anchoring them to your bones with a stronger material, they are likely to tear straight off.]
Why was it so complicated to hit things hard?! Tiny groaned out loud.
[Lig ligaments. Then muscle?] he asked.
Granin smiled and nodded.
[That's right. Make your ligaments mutable, then you can reset your muscles. In fact, if you get an option that will grant you enhanced ligaments off the bat, you should consider it. It may soak up some of your evolutionary energy, but it would be worth it.]
Tiny flexed his diminished rump sadly. He needed that energy to put more pump in the dump! If it wasn't to be, then it wasn't to be. He would make what sacrifices were necessary.
The other smaller rock people stepped forward.
[In terms of your lightning generation organs, there are a number of directions they could go, should you choose to. Acceleration organs, ionising organs. You can improve the range and damage of your lightning by quite a bit. Right now, you have a decent quantity of lightning mana, thanks to the dual mana organs you possess, but you haven't supplemented them with anything to improve their output or increase the rate of generation.]
[Corun you need to break it down a little.]
The little figure scratched at his head.
[You can add stuff to make the lightning better,] he finished lamely.
This poor effort earned a chuckle from the big one. Granin.
[Look, evolution is difficult and there are many, many options. Especially when you get to this point. With more evolutionary energy comes the ability to make even more choices. Do you want to spend it all on a few, expensive upgrades, or spread it out a little thinner, but give yourself more flexibility? It's unfortunate, but Anthony has said that you are the only one who gets to make those choices, Tiny, so you are going to have to make them.]
As painful as it was, Tiny was pleased that he was the one to decide. He liked being able to choose for himself, he just disliked all the thinking that had to go into it.
Why think, when hitting is so much more satisfying?
[It's going to boil down to this,] Granin tried to explain. He used his finger and some mana to draw a line in the table in front of him, straight down the middle. [This side, we have the things that you are, for sure, going to do. Muscle reforge goes here. Ligaments goes here.]
This was something Tiny could get on board with. He pulled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, leaning closer to stare intently at the desk.
[Now on this side, we have the possibilities. Things you might want to do. We can break these down into categories. First, your wings. It's weird that you even have shadow wings, but you have them. If you add to the muscles in your back and shoulders, it may be possible to make yourself fly. That's something to think about.]
He looked up at Tiny to see if there was any reaction. There wasn't.
[Fair enough. There's your Sonic Enhancer. With some additions, that can be improved to become extremely dangerous, increasing the intensity and the range.]
Still no response.
[Lastly, your lightning glands. Storm generators will increase the rate at which you accumulate lightning mana, and you could purchase bolt channels to give the lightning a clear path from the glands to your hands or upper arms, making it easier to discharge the mana.]
A slight stir. Tiny did like lightning.
[Alright, let's explore this a little bit further. But just a little,] Granin sighed.
-x-X-x-
[Finally done, eh Tiny? I'm impressed, I seriously didn't think you'd last this long.]
When he emerged from the consultation, head aching, Tiny found his master waiting in the chamber he was to evolve in, a huge core held in his jaws. Tiny winced when he saw it. He remembered the sting of those things.
He rubbed at his head as a phantom pain echoed at the top of his scalp.
[Yeah, I know. It's going to suck, but it needs to be done. You've got a better chance of getting a mythic evolution than the other two, but it'll all go to waste if you don't evolve with a fully pumped up core.]
His master approached and nudged at Tiny's arm with one antenna until he opened his hand so the giant ant could deposit the gem onto his palm.
[You're just like me,] his master said. [A first stratum monster who was never meant to make it this far. I'm proud of you, Tiny. You've done a great job to survive this long. And you managed to punch the heck out of a ton of monsters on the way.]
Tiny grinned broadly and instinctively flexed while giving a thumbs up, waggling his eyebrows. Anthony laughed.
[That's a new move. After this evolution, you'll probably be back to being bigger than me, I assume. Don't let it get to your head, and don't start thinking you're invincible. You might hit the hardest, but you take the fewest punches out of all of us. Make sure you toughen yourself up.]
The great ape frowned. He'd never thought of it that way. His punches were the strongest, but he couldn't take punches himself? That didn't sound right. That sounded weak. Tiny wasn't weak! He was the strongest!
Determined, he clutched the core tight in his fist. Seeing this, his master turned to leave.
[Alright, I'll leave you to it. See you on the other side, big guy.]
Taking in the core was painful, as always. The moment he was done, Tiny engaged the evolution menu.
[Would you like to use the evolution menu?]
[Congratulations on reaching the maximum level for your current species. Evolution will allow you to change your form and increase your stats as a monster.
Warning: evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult as fewer rewards are given for preying on creatures less evolved than yourself.
Your evolution options are as follows:
Elder Kong
Silverback Shadow Kong
Winged Collapsing Fist (special)
Stone Ape Shadow Boxer (special)
Ape Fury Fist (rare)
Heavyweight Champion Kong (rare)
Flicker Footed Boxer Kong (rare)
Stone Ape of the Mountain Heart (Mythic)
Elder Kong of the Storm Summit (Mythic)
Two mythic options. His master had been right, as usual. Flicker Footed Boxer Kong sounded fantastic, though.
Tiny shook his head. No, he would ignore it. As much as he loved his fancy feet, he had other things he needed to focus on right now. Punching, and getting punched! Resolute, he turned his attention to the mythic options.
[Mythic Evolution: Stone Ape of the Mountain Heart (Mythic). -20 Bonus to Cunning, +80 Bonus to Will, +250 Bonus to Toughness, +200 Bonus to Might. Your bones are as solid as the mountain, so too shall your flesh be unbreakable. Your blood flows through the mountain heart, and it nourishes your strength. Become Indomitable. Musculature will be reforged with Living Granite. A mountain heart will be granted for free. A magmavascular system will be granted for free.]
That was a lot of Toughness, and a lot of Might to go along with it! Tiny's eyes gleamed as he considered just how large and powerful his physique would be with these sorts of numbers. A musculature reforge as well, just what he wanted. Living Granite sounded good!
He would become durable, able to absorb much more punishment, which meant he could keep dishing it out. This was excellent!
Tiny recalled that he'd been warned he had to read all of the best options, not that he saw the point. He rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the next one.
[Mythic Evolution: Elder Kong of the Storm Summit (Mythic). -20 Bonus to Cunning, +50 Bonus to Will, +150 Bonus to Toughness, +300 Bonus to Might. Lightning crashes against the mountain peak and the stone is unmoved. You are the storm. You are the summit. Unbreakable you stand, endless is your fury. Lightning Mana Glands will be reforged with tempest glass. Musculature will be reforged with fulmen silver infused flesh. A storm heart will be granted for free. ]
Now this this was also interesting. There were many words here that Tiny liked. Unbreakable! Endless fury! Lightning! Also a musculature mutation, with metal of some sort? Why not!
And so much Might!
He would have to make up for the lack of toughness in other ways, of course. The stone people had told him of several and he almost remembered them.
He grinned.
This was going to be incredible.
-x-X-x-
Finally. Finally! It wasn't easy, but I managed to shepherd all of my pets through their evolutions. Holy moly, that was a lot of work. As expected, Tiny was the most difficult, but now the big guy has settled in, obviously running through the menus, judging by his furrowed brow.
Although I feel elated for them to finally reach my tier, I also feel a bit lonely. The evolution to tier seven is a big one, and the crew might not be together again for a week or more. What am I supposed to do with myself? There's not even a wave going on to keep me busy!
I head back toward the room the golgari were set up in and poke my head in.
[Hey there, the triad of power comes through again. How'd it all go?]
They were in the process of packing up, but as I stick my massive face through the entrance, they turn to me.
[Tiny was a lot of work, but probably will have the best evolution,] Granin says. [I get the feeling Crinis and Invidia are going to see a more major jump in power when they reach tier eight.]
[That's a long way away,] I scoff. [These exponential Level requirements are ridiculous.]
Granin shoots me a look and I can tell he's about to launch into a lecture. My immediate instinct is to run, but then again, where do I have to go? My antennae slump in defeat. I may as well listen and try to learn something.
[The Level requirement doubles every time, but so does the evolutionary energy contained in the core. Every tier is a more significant jump than the last one. From tier eight onwards, you can pretty much forget about fighting anything more evolved than you. Especially since higher tier monsters are usually smart enough to ensure they max out on cores and mutations before evolving, even if they didn't at the lower levels.]
[Even with my advantages?]
I'm a little surprised to hear this. I fought multiple tier eights, after all. Now he's telling me when I'm tier eight, and stronger than I am now, I'll have no chance of fighting a tier nine? I thought my Altar was an all-conquering cheat code! Well of sorts.
Granin, Corun and Torrina all look at me as if they know exactly what I'm thinking.
[Probably not,] Granin tells me in a flat tone of voice. [For your Altar to be fully effective, you need a ton of ants to be within its range, which is huge, I understand that, but it was dangerous for them to be that close even against tier eights. Against tier nines, or tens? Monsters with that kind of power could annihilate hundreds of thousands of ants without even aiming for them.]
That seems possible? I suppose?
[How much do you really know about monsters that powerful, Granin? I thought you'd never delved deep enough to come across something like a tier nine.]
One of the advantages of having a layer of stone on top of your skin is that nobody can see you blush. Not that I think Granin is blushing, I doubt the man ever has in his life. I do feel like I've caught him out, though.
[I haven't,] he readily admits, [but that doesn't mean that there aren't Shapers who have. My understanding of monsters at that tier comes from the writings of those who saw such things and worked with monsters at that level. It's rare, but it does happen. There are probably more restricted and secret texts that deal with even more powerful and highly evolved monsters than that.]
[What about the knowledge you've garnered from the cult?]
[There's a bit of that too,] he readily admits. [It's not as if the Ancients shower us with information, quite the opposite, but a few things have been gleaned over the millennia.]
I hear a strange sound, like a rushing wind, and a moment later I'm covered in dust, coughing and scraping it off my antennae.
"Vibrant! What the heck!? I just got these clean!"
"SorrySenior,butIwashopingtocomeandevolve.Isitfinishedyet?Oh,Iseetherockpeoplearestillhere,that'sgreat!Doyouthinkthey'llhangaroundforabittotalktomebeforeIevolve?"
"Holy. Moly. Slow it down! Pah! All this dust is getting into my mouth. Pah! Pfffft!"
"Why are you making those noises, Senior?"
Oh right I don't talk with my mouth I can spit out the dirt without making a sound. Doesn't quite feel right, though.
[Granin, Vibrant was wondering if you'd be willing to do a consultation for her as well. I promise she'll talk normally.]
His eyes immediately light up.
[Another tier seven ant evolution? Absolutely! Would she mind if we get to record the options she's offered? They're likely to be less unique than yours and might be universal for your siblings.]
I doubt it.
[I'll give you the heads up. All she's ever wanted to do is go as fast as possible, so I'm guessing that's the direction her questions are going to go. She'll probably be happy for you to look at her core as well, so long as she can sit still long enough for you to do it.]
I turn to the vibrating Vibrant.
"Settle down a bit. I'm getting the jitters just from looking at you."
"I'm just too excited, Senior! This is a huge-huge day for me!"
"Because you get to go faster," I sigh.
"Because I get to go FASTER!" She cheers.
"Look, I've told Granin that you'll be on your best behaviour. Talk slowly, sit still, and pay attention to what they have to say. These three are experts in the field of monster biology, so if anyone knows a way to make you zippier, it's them. Alright?"
"Got it, Senior! I'll be good!"
"All right then. Wait. Do you have a core ready?"
"Yep-yep! Not to worry!"
"What sort of core?"
"Mythic!"
Sheesh! Are these things growing on trees now? How many mythic grade monsters are running around out there?! Or perhaps her army made one for her by fusing together a literal ton of cores? Better not ask too many questions.
"Go for it. I'll wait out here and have a chat with you when you're done."
"Yay!"
In a blink, she's through the door, which closes behind her, and I settle down on the spot to wait. For some reason, I don't think I'll be waiting all that long.
-x-X-x-
Sure enough, it doesn't take long before Vibrant comes sprinting out of the office, even more energetic than before.
"It's amazing, Senior! They know soooo much! Even though they have rock-rock heads!"
"Hey, they just have a second layer of rock skin, it's not like their heads are actually filled with rocks."
"I thought they just had thinking rocks."
"What the heck is a thinking rock? You know what, I've seen weirder things on Pangera than that. Sure. Go and evolve, have fun. At least the torpor police won't have to bother chasing you for a while."
"I wish I could evolve while running. That would be amazing!"
"No it wouldn't and don't ever try it. In fact, it's banned. I don't want to find out if that's possible. Evolving is the only extended nap I ever get anymore and I refuse to have it taken from me."
It's also the only time I get free from the endless influx of the Colony's Will. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, having the desires and impressions of my family thudding into my mind in a never ending stream. It just gets overwhelming at times.
"Have you spoken to your crew about what they'll be up to while you're down here?" I ask Vibrant.
It's hard to believe she's a leader, given her easy-breezy attitude, but not only is she a member of the council, she's also a certified, bonafide commander of her own personal army. I wonder if they've come up with a name for themselves yet? Vibrant's speedsters? Always Accelerating Ants?
Goodness knows.
"Oh, they're super busy! So much running around. I told them they all have to evolve so they can kinda-sorta keep up with me, otherwise I'll leave them behind!"
Well makes sense, I suppose. I'm guessing her followers are currently sprinting around on the third stratum trying to hoover up experience and cores as quickly as they possibly can. Which is fine. A more powerful speed-squad is only helpful to the Colony after all. In fact, of all the little groups running around, hers is the fighting unit that gets the most done, and it isn't close. Something about being able to get from hotspot to hotspot in record time makes all the difference, I suppose.
"Fair enough. I'll leave you to it, then. Good luck! Hope it all goes well!"
She's probably going to get a mythic evolution that turns her into the ant equivalent of a fighter jet, or one of those rocket-propelled cars on Earth.
I clap my front two legs together and offer a silent prayer to the unnamed ones. Whoever's job it is to catch Vibrant after this is going to need more luck than exists in this world.
Vibrant races off to find a chamber to evolve in and I shake my head. The Colony is getting stronger, so it's all fine. In fact, I wonder how long it is until Brilliant and Solant evolve again? The other Colony Champions have been making great contributions lately, but those will only grow in scope the higher tier they reach.
With Sarah, Crinis, Tiny and Invidia all down for the count, I seek out Odin and find the wiry demon outside of Sarah's chamber. He's sitting eerily still, like a statue, just watching. What is up with Sarah and her ability to get these weirdos to follow her around? First was Jim, and now this guy.
[Hey there, Odin. How's things?]
The demon jumps in surprise as I smack a mind bridge into him and start yapping.
[Whahow did you find me? I was in stealth.]
[You're going to need a few more ranks if you want to avoid my eyes. Also, learn some mana manipulation so you can conceal the energy coming off your core.]
[Ah. I hadn't thought of that.]
He gives off a cold and calculating vibe, and his mental voice is quite mature, giving me the sense he was a lot older than me when he died. Doesn't mean much though, I'm his elder on this side of the divide, and this is where we happen to be!
[I can also smell you. Ant antennae are quite sensitive to scent. There's also your gravitational field. I can pick that up too.]
[What? Wouldn't that field be absurdly weak?]
[Yep!]
An awkward pause.
[Soooo are you planning on just hanging around outside of Sarah's evolution chamber until she's done? Just hiding in stealth the whole time?]
The lithe demon shifts uncomfortably.
[I just wanted to see what she turns into. She's already such an incredible engine of death. I can't imagine how she's going to improve on perfection.]
[You are a weird guy.]
I decide there and then I'm going to do Sarah a favour.
[Come on, then.] I prod the demon with my front leg. [Let's get moving.]
[Exchey! Stop that!]
[Nope. You're coming with me. Sarah would probably appreciate some privacy and there's nothing to be gained by you sitting here staring at her. In fact, that's a profoundly odd thing to do. You're living in the Colony, so make yourself useful to the Colony. Let's get to it!]
Ignoring his protests, I continue to poke and prod the former human until we leave the evolution chambers behind and make our way deeper into the nest. I don't think it'll take long for me to find some sort of trouble to get into, it always seems to come and find me when my friends aren't around, and sure enough, a runner speeds up to me within ten minutes.
[Eldest! The brathian delegation has returned, and they wish to speak to you right away!]
That's a bit sudden. Couldn't they have sent word ahead or something? Good thing I've got nothing better to do.
[Sure, lead the way!]
I drag Odin along with me and it isn't long until we find ourselves back in the spacious chamber the initial negotiations took place in. Enid is already there, sipping a cup of tea and chatting pleasantly with the same scaled lady we spoke to last time. Along with her entourage. In fact, I think there's even more of them this time.
I wonder what they want?
-x-X-x-
Turns out they aren't particularly impressed I've brought Odin along with me. No sooner have we entered the chamber than the guards are whipping out blades and the mages are slapping down shields around the core of their group.
Enid looks as confused as I feel, and there's some rapid words exchanged. I put together a mind bridge and connect to her in order to find out what in the heck is going on.
[They're upset you brought an Assassin Demon with you,] she tells me, eyeing Odin askance.
[A what?!]
I turn to look at the little demon.
[You're an Assassin Demon?]
[I thought you already knew that.]
I probably did. I shrug.
[So he's an Assassin Demon. So what?]
Enid gives me that look that tells me she's annoyed, and developing a headache.
[So they think you're going to assassinate someone. Why else would you bring one to a meeting with an envoy from another group?]
[If I was going to assassinate one of them, why the heck would I waltz in with him in plain view of everyone? Besides, he's not going to kill anyone. Odin, do you feel the urge to commit murder?]
[A bit, yes.]
[Shut up for a minute, Odin. What the heck, man? Seriously. Look, can you just explain to them he's a friend of the Colony and we are not planning on having anyone assassinated. I only dragged him up here so he could stop being creepy somewhere else.]
[Can you stop describing me as creepy?]
[After what you just said? No. And frankly, I'm shocked you would ask.]
It takes a little while, but eventually Enid is able to calm the brathians down long enough for them to put their weapons away, which in turn lets the Colony feel comfortable enough to stop pulling thousands of troops off the walls to surround the chamber.
Eventually, after going through several intermediaries, I manage to connect with the leader of the delegation, Eran Thouris, a sparkling purple-scaled lady, and speak to her directly.
[Sorry about the confusion,] I say upfront. [I'd totally forgotten that this guy was an Assassin Demon, otherwise I wouldn't have brought him.]
It does seem somewhat rude to bring a demon of killing to a meeting.
[It's quite alright. I'm happy to overlook the whole incident. In exchange for renegotiating a few percentage points on our contract.]
[Not happening.]
I still feel like they are point blank robbing us. There's no way I'm going to let them get away with shaving more profit out of us just because I made them think we were trying to murder them. That would be outrageous!
[I assume you're here to talk about our deal? Are we going to move forward now that the wave is over?]
Eran smiles, though it doesn't reach her eyes.
[I thought as much. Yes, we are here to discuss our agreement and take steps that will enable us to start bringing your products to market. We have brought along our goods inspectors, who will remain with you here in the nest to supervise the packing of the merchandise, as well as ensure quality control.]
I really doubt that quality control is going to be an issue. For whatever reason, the craft-ants who fill up the countless workshops of the Colony are obsessed with quality. They grind their Skills day and night, cleaning up every little detail they can find in order to produce the best work that they can. Actually, it's probably because most of the furniture and food goes to the Queens now that I think about it. Hey, if it keeps the brathians happy, they can inspect the quality. Why not?
[That sounds fine. I'm pretty sure we had rooms and work areas prepared for them.]
We sure did. Those rooms are heavily enchanted to prevent snooping, just in case these scaly negotiators were hoping to get some inside information. It's not that easy! Gweheheheh.
[There is another matter I wanted to bring up with you,] Eran continues, taking a long sip of her tea. [That is the issue of introducing your goods directly to the buyers.]
[Yeeeeeeah? Isn't that your side of the agreement? We provide the stuff, you take it to market and sell it.]
[That's correct, of course,] she assures me, [but there are several unique challenges involved. And no, I'm not trying to negotiate for a better price,] she says, stalling my immediate complaint, [I'm trying to make sure this venture gets off to the best possible start. Let me elaborate a little.]
She gestures behind her, and one of the attendants steps forward with a large scroll that is placed on the table and unfurled in front of the delegate. What is revealed is a beautifully made, vividly coloured and exquisitely detailed map of the fourth stratum.
Holy moly! This is some valuable stuff! Are they giving us this information for free?! I better play it cool.
[Nice map,] I say.
Smooth.
Eran smiles, then stands to better point out locations on the map.
[The issue we have is that there are very few monster-made goods on the market. Very few. Those that are, tend to be from well established sellers with a reputation for quality that people can trust. A good example you are likely familiar with is the sophos. Their custom designed pet-cores go for a premium all over the fourth. Customers dislike buying from monsters as a rule. I'm sure you can understand why.]
I get it. Monsters, for the most part, want to eat people. People, be they golgari, human, brathian or ka'armodo, would rather they not get eaten. This clash of ideals is sure to create some tension. I don't think I'd be buying from a company that stated its mission was to consume my precious Biomass.
[So you think people will be reluctant to purchase Colony-made products.]
[I don't think they will, I know they will. In order to overcome this resistance, we need to put our best foot forward with a swift marketing campaign.]
Holy moly. These brathians really like their wheeling and dealing.
[What did you have in mind?]
[A tour,] she says simply. [We take you, and some of your finest crafts ants, and we visit the biggest markets in the fourth. It's easy to dismiss that which you aren't familiar with. If we can show the buyers who and what you are, let them lose a little of their fear, as well as see a demonstration of your skills, then they are far more likely to engage with your goods.]
She gestures down to the map in front of her.
[There are six main places I want us to visit at least, as well as several smaller ones in between. The Silver City is one of the largest trading hubs in the world, we can probably leave that one for last. Desert Basin, home of the ka'armodo Sand Empire. Greystone, the major commercial city of the golgari Empire of Stone. Freehill, gathering place of the Folk. Lakespire, a meeting place for the brathian trading conglomerates. We should probably also pay a visit to the Wandering Isle.]
As she names each of these major cities she points to a location on the map covered in glittering symbology and elaborate looking letters that no doubt spell out the names of these places. For the last one, though, she doesn't, and I can guess why.
[I'm going to guess that's one of the flying islands that I've seen around the place. I didn't think they were big enough for people to seriously live on.]
[There's more than you think, roughly a dozen on which there are major settlements. There are many, many smaller ones occupied by monsters.]
[Yes, I've seen one of those.]
[So, that is my proposal. Be front-facing and get you out there, as the face and representative of the Colony, to break down resistance to the products we will be bringing to market.]
I'm not super comfortable with the idea of leaving the nest undefended, but then, this project has the possibility of bringing in a ton of cores for my siblings. If we succeed, we may finally have the supply to ensure full evolutions for every ant graduate. Or at least, a much higher proportion of them.
[The sooner we leave, the sooner we can complete the tour and start moving goods. How quickly can everything be arranged on your end?]
We would need me. A few dozen of our best crafters. An escort of guards and soldiers. Examples of the merch, naturally. That's a lot of different goods.
[Give us an hour.]
-x-X-x-
It takes very little time for the Colony to get the stuff together. A bit more than an hour, I'm not going to lie, but not by much. Within thirty minutes, the goods start to flow through the gate, along with many of the Colony's best carvers. Even Smithant shows up! The only thing that could drag her away from her forge is the possibility of learning new techniques from across the fourth.
The other thing that flows through the gate is reinforcements. Many, many reinforcements. It turns out that the Council members I spoke to, mostly via the Nave, were extremely supportive of the prospect of a diplomatic mission to the rest of the stratum, but with so many close allies undergoing evolution within the nest, they didn't want to leave anything to chance.
Over the next few days, they plan to bring in tons of ants. Soldiers, generals, mages, carvers, the works. Within forty eight hours, the nest will be locked up tighter than Fort Knox if it were placed within another Fort Knox which was itself within a safe. The possibility of a repeat of my own evolution, awakening to find hunters attacking to try and claim my sweet, sweet mythic scalp, will not be allowed to take place.
Which is a relief.
Another problem quickly rears its head when it's decided that some of the human allies of the Colony should be brought along as well. Enid, obviously, is the first name put forward, and she graciously accepts, but after that, we run into trouble. Big trouble.
[I AM MORE THAN WILLING TO BRAVE THE DANGERS OF THE UNENLIGHTENED IN ORDER TO SPREAD THE WORD OF YOUR LIGHT, GREAT ONE!]
[LOUD! Always with the loud! Dial it back a notch before you smack my brain with a hammer, would you?]
[I apologise most humbly GREATGreat One. I am in control of myself.]
Somehow I kind of doubt that. Despite his words, the guy is visibly trembling still, just from being around me. I look at the other humans, waiting for someone to step forward and take him away to a hospital or something, but for some reason, it never happens. Actually, I think there's a few people there that I recognise. I'll have to have a few words with them later.
"Why are we thinking of bringing this guy along?" I complain to Victor. "If he meets with other humans, he's just going to weird them out."
The general rubs her antennae together.
"I'm not sure what you mean, Eldest. I generally can't tell the humans apart very well, and certainly don't know when they're 'weirded out'. The other humans put him forward as their representative, so we included him."
Of course they did. They're his followers.
"Fine. Just please tell me we have some normalother people coming as well."
"There's a detachment of the ant cavalry being deployed for the first time. We thought it would be a good idea to show just how closely we can cooperate with others."
"Isn't Isaac in charge of that group?"
"Captain Bird, you mean?"
"He's a captain now? Sure. It's fine. I wouldn't call him sensible, but he's better than Beyn."
I point at the two familiar figures.
"I want those two included as well."
Victor shrugs and passes on the message to a runner who dashes off to inform the organisers.
In the meantime, I reach out to the two golden statues within my Nave.
[Hello again, you two. Yes, it's me, I'm right in front of you, hello.]
I wave at them. The girl looks a bit stunned. The guy just sort of nods.
[We're going on a trip. Beyn is coming, and so are you. Congratulations. Pack your stuff.]
So much stuff to get ready! I excuse myself from the crowd and try to grab a moment of privacy so I can check in with my personal babysitters.
"Protectant. We are heading out of the nest and travelling across the stratum. This is going to be stressful as heck for you lot. Anyone who isn't tier six is going to have to remain behind, I'm afraid."
It's been a while since I've spoken to them directly, which is that they prefer things, but on this occasion, it's important we hash things out.
"Do I have to reveal myself?" comes a plaintive scent.
"Yes, you have to reveal yourself. I know where you are, but I feel like I'm talking to a wall. It's ridiculous."
Begrudgingly, my bodyguard appears from thin air.
"We've all evolved to tier six already," she assures me, still constantly scanning for threats, her antennae never ceasing to move. "However, I strongly advise against this excursion. It's dangerous for you to leave the nest."
"You mean right now?"
"No, I mean at any time, ever."
"I'm not sitting around inside in the nest for the rest of my life! Forget it! After this trip, we have to get ready for our next major adventure, which is invading the fifth and kicking slugs in the bum! If they have them! Surely they do. Anyway. You've all evolved. That's good. I won't have to worry about you so much."
After talking to Protectant, I make sure to track Odin down again. He was trying to sneak back to Sarah's evolution chamber, the weirdo. Ignoring his protests, I bundle him up and get him thrown in with the bespoke furniture. People may not like having Assassin Demons around, but I'm not leaving him behind. The guy needs to find himself a new hobby.
In the end, the ant delegation is much larger than I thought it would be, almost ten thousand individuals including humans, golgari, huge baggage trains and many, many guards. And me. The fact that we managed to pull the damn thing together so quickly is frankly baffling.
In fact, the brathian are baffled. They expected it to take a week to get ready and have now been caught flat-footed. The scrubs! After apologising, they ask for a day to get their own expedition ready, and invite me to come and hang out down in the Lake with them, along with some of our delegates.
I'm quite curious as to how they make their living down in the sparkling blue waters of the fourth, but I don't really see how I'm supposed to get down there. Ants can float on top of water. At least, ants who are way lighter than me can float on top of water. What I'm not sure of, is if there are any ants who can swim. My feeling is no.
They assure me it's possible, though, so what the hey, I might as well take them up on their offer. If worse comes to worst, I'll move the water with gravity and float my way out. Gracefully.
-x-X-x-
As it turns out, the Colony's new trading partners are fairly accustomed to bringing less swim-capable creatures down into their watery abode. Perhaps not necessarily ones as large as I am, but hey, it all works out in the end.
When I arrive at the beach, I find a team of brathian mages ready and waiting to transport us down beneath the waves.
[So how does this work?] I ask Enid.
The old woman frowns at me. She's a lot less mobile than she used to be, and the Colony has given her a permanent aide in the form of a support ant for her to lean on.
[How would I know?] she says. [I've never been down this deep, and I've certainly never been invited to visit a brathian in their home.]
[Are they famously inhospitable or something?]
[Nothing of the sort. They just don't often invite any but their closest allies into their cities. Not the ones underwater anyway.]
Huh. So I suppose they have cities above water on the surface. Still, I would like to know how the heck this is going to work.
I make a request of the mage assigned to me, a sturdy-looking fellow absolutely dripping in enchanted gear and cores. My guess is it's all to try and protect him from my powerful ant influence. He passes on my question, and eventually I get connected to Eran Thouris again, who explains the process to me.
[Our mages will create a platform for you all to stand on, then shape the water around you, allowing the platform to descend, while keeping you all quite dry. Using magic, they will leach oxygen from the water, so there is no need to fear suffocation. While you are in our care, no harm will come to you, rest assured.]
I'm not even sure I technically need to breathe, but the humans surely do. Heh, weaklings.
[That's going to need to be a sturdy platform,] I reply, shifting my feet a little, [I'm uh not as lightweight as I used to be.]
[No fear,] Eran assures me. [We are quite practised at this, and regularly bring entire trade caravans beneath the waves.]
Well, this whole venture is an exercise in trust. If the Colony is going to successfully get along with anyone down here, we need to show we are willing to take a leap of faith. Extend the antenna of friendship, so to speak. Naturally, if the brathians betray us, the antenna of friendship will be retracted, and replaced with the mandibles of 'oh no you didn't!'. Until then, I will lead by example and show trust.
For an influx of cores that will empower my siblings, I'm willing to take a lot of risks! And if our goods prove successful, then maybe people will be less likely to declare war on us! We've got a war with the Krath brewing at the moment, I'd rather not have to keep butting heads with the ka'armodo and Legion.
One enemy at a time, please!
In short order, a wide platform is formed, almost fifty by fifty metres, and we all file onto it. A few minutes later, it begins to descend, and remarkably, the water just slides up the sides, as if we are protected by an invisible dome.
Which we are obviously.
It's a rather unnerving sight, if I'm honest, and my poor ant heart quavers as the water rises up the walls, arches overhead and then meets in the middle. I'm completely submerged.
And down we go, even deeper.
The view is spectacular, though, holy moly. The water of the fourth stratum isn't like that rubbish water from Earth. I don't care how fancy you think that mineral spring is, that water is like the muck at the bottom of your garbage bin compared to this. Filled to the brim with Life and Water mana, the lake is a dazzling, vibrant place filled with light, plants, fish, sharks, crabs, jellyfish and everything else aquatic. The water shimmers like jewellery as we sink further and further down, transitioning from a bright turquoise to a deep sapphire as we leave the surface behind.
Enid grabs onto my leg.
[It's beautiful,] she murmurs to my mind, and I have to agree.
I mean, it's no well-built tunnel, but it'll do in a pinch. The monsters down here seem a lot more reticent than I expected. During the wave, we were getting a horde of massive sea beasts pouring out of the water at a constant rate, but now that we're down here, I don't sense any of them nearby. I ask Eran about it and she explains.
[We take measures to passively keep the monster population away from us. We can't push them away from too large an area, or that causes problems of its own, but for now, we have extended that protection up toward your nest to ensure a smooth journey.]
Interesting. I focus a bit more carefully, trying to get a sense of what they are doing, and I vaguely get a hint of something I think I may have sensed before. It's a monster, for sure, the touch of my own kind is quite recognisable. Strong one, too, but no sooner do I catch a whiff of it than the sense is gone, hidden from view.
A moment later, we cross over some sort of underwater barrier and find ourselves within the brathian territory proper. We start to see them, humanoid, scaled people with fins on their arms and legs, drifting in the water. They swim incredibly fast, shooting through the water like they've been blasted out of a cannon. I see farms of kelp, hunters out collecting fish and checking traps, patrols of armed and armoured soldiers, and then we draw close enough to see the city.
It's larger than I thought it would be, tall buildings formed of colourful stone, or perhaps coral? Sandy fields that glitter like gold flakes, busy community centres filled with brathians coming and going, buying and selling. In fact, I see a lot of buying and selling. I feel like everywhere I look, there's a market.
[Is it really necessary to have so many different places to buy and sell?] I ask Eran as we float over the city. The people below are so focused on their haggling they don't even notice the giant ant and friends overhead.
Eran Thouris smiles as she looks down on the city of her people.
[It's very necessary. Brathians in general are commercially minded, and those of us who live in the conglomerates doubly so. Most families will run a store out of their house, regardless of what they do for a living. Buying and selling is a way of life for us. If we were to put all of the stores in the city in a single location, nobody would ever leave. And the rioting would be terrible.]
Whoa there. That took a turn I wasn't expecting.
[Excuse me? Rioting?]
[Oh yes. Negotiations can be very passionate.]
Holy moly. These people are just as crazy as Beyn. Instead of worshipping a big ant, they worship commerce.
I'm kind of excited to meet the leader of these crazy people. In the world of obsessed business-fish, he's got to be the biggest and richest of them all.