There are many who have dedicated themselves to the art of raising pets to fight on their behalf within the Dungeon. Expensive, time consuming, emotionally draining, mentally taxing, it is not a pursuit for the faint of heart or weak of mind, but for those who truly master it, immense power can be achieved.
From acquiring a core, modifying the core, creating and raising the monster to its full, combat ready size, there are huge upfront costs to even trying to rear a monstrous companion. None of these processes are easy, if you try to do it all yourself, or cheap, if you try to find someone else to do it for you.
For this reason, the majority of pet owners are wealthier individuals, scions from powerful families or individuals who are responsible for the pooled resources of their delver gang or mercenary regiment.
Yet, even in reaching this stage, the true benefits of raising pets have not been realised. Where the masters are able to differentiate themselves from the layman is in careful management of evolution. The true experts can find efficiencies that the system cannot, overriding the defaults to shape the form of their pet like a sculptor revealing perfection from within the stone.
-Excerpt from 'On Pets' by Xinci
-x-X-x-
[Would you like to engage the Managed Evolution Process?]
Yes.
[This monster is not your pet. Awaiting permission.]
[Anthony! We need your permission to begin the evolution,] the triad urged, [you need to answer the system prompt!]
The giant ant was still flailing wildly, rolling and twisting as he endured the 'itch' he described.
[SAZZIFRANAZAPP!!!! Do whatever the heck you want! GRAAAAAAA!]
[Permission granted.]
[This Monster has reached the maximum level for its current species. Managed Evolution will allow you to control the process of changing the form and stats of this monster.]
[An additional 10% evolutionary energy will be granted for maxed mutations.]
[Warning: Evolving will make securing XP and Biomass more difficult, as fewer rewards are given for preying on less evolved creatures.]
The triad wished they could flick the system prompts away faster, but there was no way to rush the process, all they could do was wait.
This was hardly the ideal situation for such an important evolution, and the three merged minds resolved themselves for the trial to come. Not only would they have little time to choose a species, they would then need to go through the entire managed evolution process, selecting resets, new organs and doing all they could to strengthen Anthony for the challenges ahead, all the while he would be thrashing and kicking like a mad thing. Far from ideal.
Many shapers would take days to plan out all the details they would need to race through in a matter of minutes. However, there was no choice, all they could do was their best.
[Your evolution options are as follows:]
No time nor any reason to look at anything other than the mythic options. The triad gave them their whole focus. There had to be something there that would help Anthony absorb the toxic mana within him. If not, he likely wouldn't survive the evolution, dying before his new form took shape.
[Mythic Evolution: Colony Ascendant. +125 Cunning, +125 Willpower, +250 Might, +250 Toughness. You have sought to be the perfect specimen, excelling in all aspects of your form. Now go beyond, and rise above what was once possible. Musculature will be reforged into World-Infused Flesh. Brains and Coordination Cortex will be reforged into Radiant Dynamo Matter. Reforge at half-cost. A Core of Ascension will be granted for free.]
The triad examined the evolution in stunned silence. The numbers and keywords were simply overwhelming. None of them had done more than read about options that could be provided to tier eight monsters, yet here one was, right in front of them. A mythic evolution no less.
Two-hundred and fifty in mental stats, five hundred in physical, along with exceptionally powerful reforges. Had they the shaper Register of Monster Parts with them, they didn't doubt the Radiant Dynamo would be just as extraordinary as the World-Infused flesh, truly precious and powerful materials.
Combined with those benefits, all further reforges at half cost would enable Anthony to go on another reforge spree. His eyes needed work, his legs and a slew of other organs and parts. With the overwhelming amount of energy a tier eight mythic evolution would provide, combined with halved costs? They could select a range of massively powerful options for his body.
What gave them pause was the Core of Ascension. None of the three had even heard of such a thing, despite how potent it sounded. What function could it possibly have? With the evolutionary information at their fingertips, it was possible for the triad to learn, they could find out in just a few seconds, but they hesitated.
This was clearly the evolution that Anthony would have wanted to take. If he had been free to make his own selection, to evolve in peace and without pressure, this option would have ticked all the boxes. The stats would have reinforced the path he was already on, powering up his brains, making him stronger and more durable, a real physical powerhouse, and the reforges would have pushed him over the top. An exemplary mage and fighter, he would have become an almost impossible matchup.
Such a perfect and well rounded evolution, the triad hesitated, on the verge of selecting it, even knowing that they couldn't. The three minds wobbled, no longer in harmony as they argued amongst themselves. Perhaps Anthony would be able to survive. They would find a way to help him, to ensure he made it through the process.
With an evolution like this behind him, his path towards Ancient-hood would be so much smoother, perhaps even assured.
And yet. They couldn't choose it. They mustn't. The risks were too great and Anthony had placed his life in their collective hands. To avoid temptation and regret, they ignored the Core of Ascension. They were not to know of its purpose, and they would have to live with that.
Quickly, they turned their eyes to the remaining options. One of them had to keep him alive. It was their only hope.
-x-X-x-
The triad moved on to the next option. Anthony had been presented with multiple Mythic evolution options at tier seven, and he had even more to select from this time. This was further confirmation to the theory that ants were being rewarded for reaching higher tiers, something that wasn't expected of their species.
Although, as soon as they examined the next evolution, they had doubts.
[Mythic Evolution: Toxic Swarm. +50 to Cunning, +50 to Willpower, +200 to Might, +200 to Toughness. Every ant knows that strength lies in numbers. Embrace this principle through your form, not just your family. Your body will take the form of a swarm of self-replicating, virulently toxic, palm-sized ants. Your stats and core will be distributed across the first thousand ants. A Swarm Core will be granted for free. All-Toxin Replicant Engine will be granted for free.]
The more the triad looked at the evolution, the more convinced they were that it would be powerful. This would surely absorb the energy that had infected Anthony, driving it into the Replicant Engine and allowing him to survive. A living swarm of creatures that self-replicated, each of them capable of delivering even a watered down version of Theorazzn's toxin would be… absurdly powerful.
With his organs and mutations still intact, although distributed across a thousand individuals, it wasn't clear exactly how this strange body would function, but it seemed as if Anthony would retain almost all of his capabilities were he to make this selection, which was equally absurd.
Despite warming to it, the triad knew from the outset that this was not an option that Anthony himself would condone. He had shown a strong negative reaction to any evolution that messed with his body too much. He didn't want to be formless, nor did he want to be a giant, immobile brain, or even reset to an immobile god-grub. They doubted he would be interested in becoming a distributed swarm of creatures, even if it would be a strong choice.
If they didn't find another option that would help him survive, then this would have to be it, reservations or no.
There were two more mythic options for Anthony to choose from; hopefully one of them would both carve a path to survival and be acceptable to the monster.
[Mythic Evolution: Toxic Spring Colony Bulwark. +100 Cunning, +100 Willpower, +250 Might, +350 Toughness. Poison springs eternally within, an endless font of corruption that will nourish your core and annihilate your enemies. A creature of endurance and strength, allow your poison to bring your foes to their knees. Even the shadow of harm will become your strength. An Everflow Well of Corruption will be granted for free. Eyes will be reforged into Petrified Infection. An Infection Core will be granted for free. Regeneration Gland will be consumed and replaced with an Infectious Echo Network. Acid Gland, Acid Nozzle, Concentration Gland, Stimulation Gland will be fused, transforming them into a Fused Acid Complex.]
[Mythic Evolution: Colony Contaminant Commander. +150 Cunning, +150 Willpower, +200 Might, +200 Toughness. You have received the Will of the Colony and used it to grow strong, now your own Will can become infectious. Your Brains and Coordination Cortex will be reforged with Ascendant Slime. You will be granted a Corruption Core for free. An Immaterium Spirit Leech will be granted for free. Acid Gland, Acid Nozzle, Concentration Gland, Stimulation Gland will be fused, transforming them into an Acidic Production District.]
These were the final two options that Anthony would have at the Mythic tier. Fortunately, both appeared to be perfectly viable, not changing his body to a high degree and also utilising the powerful corruption placed inside his body, allowing him to survive.
Two acceptable choices, that was more than they had dared hope for. With so much work on the evolution yet to be done, the triad pushed themselves into overdrive, dividing their attention and absorbing all the information about these two species that they could. They dove into the descriptions and menus, trying to learn all they could in as short a timespan as possible until they had all the details they needed at their fingertips.
The Toxic Spring Colony Bulwark was an interesting selection. Defensive in nature, it was clearly designed to apply its damage over time, outlasting the opponent in an extended fight. Although he might not like it, Anthony was already perfectly poised to fight in such a manner, with the Vestibule giving him an enormous advantage in endurance so long as sufficient members of the Colony were nearby.
The Everflow Well of Corruption played a key part in this strategy, essentially creating a self-replicating, inexhaustible supply of tainted mana for Anthony to utilise. Even better than a mana organ, it didn't require any regular, unattributed mana from the core to function, it would simply overflow with tainted energy, forever. Eyes of Petrified Infection would not only remove the weakness in his carapace and replace it with a strong, hardy material, they would allow him to see the progress of infection within others, letting him know exactly how damaged they were internally by his toxic offence.
Perhaps even more impressive, the Infectious Echo Network was an absurd organ that the triad had never even come across before. Losing the Regeneration Gland wasn't nothing, especially since it synergised so well with Anthony's Vestibule, but the final result would be even better than before. Rather than a single reserve that could be triggered to release healing fluid, the network was distributed about Anthony's body, releasing healing where it was needed. What's more, it had a snowballing effect, perhaps based on Theorazzn's propagating mana. The more Anthony was attacked, the faster he would continue to heal as the Network gained speed, much like an infection would.
Even more absurd, the attack didn't need to cause any damage for the effect to trigger. Just the 'potential', the echo, was enough. With his precognitive capacity and reflexes, if Anthony were able to dodge enough attacks, the healing would begin to ramp up to ridiculous speeds even before he was actually hit.
The Colony Contaminant Commander was also an interesting choice. Attacking at the spiritual level, rather than the physical, the Immaterium Leech could be used to inject infected Will directly into his enemies. The Corruption Core would siphon Will from the Vestibule and contaminate it, allowing it to be used as a weapon that would eat away at the souls of his foes.
Despite the rather disgusting name, Ascendant Slime turned out to be a potent and evolutionarily expensive material. It would allow Anthony to survive attacks that pierced his brain, as the Slime was fully capable of reforming itself so long as it wasn't too damaged. It also operated far more quickly than the regular neurons his brains were currently composed of.
Neither option was really what Anthony would choose for himself, the triad was well aware, but no choice mattered if he didn't survive the evolution process.
It was down to these two; they would have to choose one of them.
-x-X-x-
By this time, the Colony had somewhat managed to hold Anthony down using some sort of threaded rope, magic and sheer weight of numbers. He was still wiggling about, but his range of motion had been greatly reduced, which made keeping in contact with him much easier.
[Anthony,] the triad said, trying to break through to him. [We have two options that should help you survive, do you have a preference?]
[I'd prefer it… IF MY FACE WASN'T ON FIRE!]
[The evolutions!]
[GAH! Fine. Gimme a sec!]
They waited as patiently as they could while he struggled to access the menu.
[I hate them both! Acken! Flacken! ITCHY! Bulwark! Go with that one! EVEN IF IT SUCKS, DAMMIT!]
Well, not that they didn't know how he would feel about it before, but at least he'd been able to make the final selection on his own. It was clear at this point that the potent mana left behind by Theorazzn had completely skewed the evolutionary options available to him, and destroyed his chance to advance along the path he had carved for himself.
The triad were furious at having to make these compromises, at having to curtail the potential of such a promising monster, but nothing mattered if he didn't survive, that was obviously the most important thing. Anger boiling in their hearts, they locked in the Bulwark, and set to work.
A tier eight mythic monster had an absolute ocean of evolutionary potential available to them, and many, many potential purchases to be made.
Acting in unison, the three golgari surged into action. There were many things that needed to be addressed, and they had long prepared for a possibility such as this.
The three had made a study of ant physiology, and tore through Anthony's physique like a hurricane, adjusting, shifting, realigning and perfecting his musculature. It required almost no energy to do so, but would result in a noticeable difference in power. The default was not necessarily correct, and this was one such instance.
In addition, Anthony had not been overly careful in the way he had expanded his size and added additional muscle. The density and bulk were generally spread fairly evenly, but an even distribution wasn't the best way to achieve an optimal result. Further corrections needed to be made, condensing muscles in certain areas, shifting mass from one place to another. In particular, the muscles in the head connected to the mandibles needed a significant amount of work.
After this initial pass was complete, Anthony's body was much better streamlined. With more time, they could squeeze a few more percent out of him, but that was a luxury they could not afford.
Next, they distributed the free stats gained from the evolution, of which there was an abundance. Anthony's size would again need to increase, if only to fit everything he needed to cram into his body, but the bulk of the physical energy was spent on condensing key muscles. With all of the room, the brains were expanded, gaining a great deal of processing power before they needed to start condensing the grey matter.
Defensively, the carapace was hardened and thickened, the joints reinforced and slight adjustments made to his shape, making it more difficult for enemies to target his vulnerable points. In particular, attention was placed around Anthony's head. The giant ant had quite frequently damaged himself using his own abilities, and his new chomp attack had proven to be especially potent. Thickening the carapace there, shaping it to better deflect the power unleashed by his mandibles, would hopefully reduce the damage he did to himself.
Next, the triad turned their attention to the purchases they wanted to make. First of all, a Mind Construct. A very specific organ, it would act as a construct would, taking in raw mana and converting it to the desired attribute, but not store it as a regular mana gland would, shaving a little off the price. After all, Anthony didn't need a reserve of mind mana, but a constant, steady supply. With careful positioning, the triad was able to ensure a steady drip of mana would be pulled from the core and fed to the organ without spending any energy to forge an actual, physical connection.
With mutations and an eventual reforge, Anthony would be able to very efficiently create the mind mana that he constantly needed without having to devote any of his own mental resources to the task. Further freeing up his brains for more important work, the purchase of this organ was more than justified.
Next, Anthony had been at pains to try and address the weakness that was his legs, increasing the speed at which they could regrow, but it simply wasn't enough. Although the triad planned on a reset for his limbs, it was necessary that energy be spent on a better solution.
Vestigial Limb Incubator.
This would place six small organs adjacent to each of Anthony's legs. Should one be damaged, the existing leg could be disconnected and the vestigial limb would take the place of the lost limb. Combined with mutations and healing fluid, the new leg could grow to an acceptable size in a matter of minutes, rather than hours.
The three had long considered Anthony's… rather unique collection of senses. He had, thanks to his origin as an ant, a very broad ability to see, though his compound eyes began at an exceptionally poor baseline. His antennae, covered with fine hairs, were extremely sensitive to touch and smell, especially so after their reforging and subsequent mutation. In addition, he was able to sense future echoes, along with gravitational fields, adding yet more information to an already crowded picture.
Reaction speed was key to the giant ant's survival strategy, which meant rapidly processing this sensory information was critical. Shaving even a fraction of a second from his response time could be crucial. To facilitate this, they purchased an add-on to his existing brain structure: A Sensory Processor.
Looking at the work they had done, the triad could only brace themselves. They had barely made a dent in the vast reservoir before them. There was still much to do.
-x-X-x-
"Where are they going?" Theresant fretted.
She constantly darted forward, then mastered herself and retreated a little, desperate to intervene and protect the chal but knowing they wouldn't appreciate her interference.
"Everything is fine," Florence said, trying to soothe her sister. "They're perfectly safe, the path has been cleared. They seem quite happy. What is there to worry about?"
She wasn't lying. The Brood Tenders had made extensive preparations, and the Colony had been only too happy to respond to their wishes. Wherever the little snails chose to go, the way forward was clear and unobstructed, the small column of hatchlings defended on all sides by an army of volunteers.
"But where are they going? And why? I don't like not knowing, they might be endangering themselves."
"What harm can they find within the Fortress?" Florence pointed out, quite reasonably. "Holding them back was more likely to be a problem than letting them go. They're stubborn, as you know."
The snails did indeed seem quite happy, sliding along as a group, long moustaches trailing in the wind. Despite never moving through the fortress before, they seemed to know exactly where they wanted to be, as if guided by some unseen signal. Rather than worrying, Florence was quite keen to see just what had seized the little chal's attention so thoroughly. She had heard that they were remarkable, powerful creatures. What was it they were planning to do?
~~~
Anthony's fit, it seemed, was beginning to subside, and he was once again starting to focus on the internal battle against the infection, but tremendous damage had already been done.
The triad were well aware of the danger. The pressure weighed heavily on their minds as they continued to forge ahead, consulting with the giant ant when they had to, but trying to distract him as little as possible. With such a vast amount of evolutionary energy available, the temptation was there to simply start splurging, buying expensive upgrades and reforging with the best available materials, but their trained instincts refused to allow them to be so profligate. They would make the best choices they could, working within their means and spending efficiently. Anthony deserved nothing less.
Attention turned to the fusion. Of all the things this evolution granted Anthony, this was likely the best. Combining the array of organs he had purchased to make his acid a more viable weapon into a more formidable whole was one thing, but combined with the properties of Theorazzn's mana, it would become truly deadly indeed.
The new Fused Acid Complex would reset the purchased mutations, but that lost energy wasn't lost, rather it was spent on improving the baseline performance of everything contained within. Incorporating the infection, the triad were pleased to see the gland had adopted the propagation power and durability of Theorazzn's taint. Accentuated by what had once been the concentration gland, those properties were even further enhanced. Acid fired from this gland would be truly deadly, even without modifying it.
To complete the package, the triad chose a new material well-suited to the purpose. They exceeded the budget provided by the fusion, but not by too much. Anthony would agree it was worth it in the end.
The final product: Fused Acid Complex (Deleterium Shard). Even shards of deleterium were prohibitively expensive, but worth it in this case. The material was exceptional for the production of acids and toxins.
Not for the first time, the triad were struck by just how much Anthony's corpse would be worth to delvers. If anyone realised just how valuable his carapace was, he might be hunted even if he stayed within the Colony. They certainly weren't going to advertise the fact, and hopefully no one else found out.
After all, further reforging needed to be done to complete the evolution, making him even more valuable a prize.
Anthony's muscles, formed of plain organic fibres and cells, were no longer up to the strain of executing his enormously powerful Skills. A reforge of his musculature was, if anything, overdue. No monster could hope to reach the pinnacle of strength with such baseline components.
The triad dared to dream, and inspected the price of world-infused flesh, only to flinch back. Truly, it was so costly they dared not lock it in, even if it were incredibly powerful. With his legs still to reforge, and possibly his brains, they couldn't afford to blow the budget on something like this. The loss of the first evolution pained them even further, but they comforted themselves. Just because it was exceptional material didn't mean world-infused flesh was the right one for Anthony.
After all, there was no synergy there with the rest of his body.
Although they didn't fully understand the power of gravity, it permeated throughout Anthony's form. Determined to find something that worked, the triad tore through the list, hunting for something they felt would land on the right key words and synergies. Eventually they found a material that suited their purpose.
Neutron Fibre. Compressed in the heart of a star, stretched on the edge of the event horizon, these fibres are capable of enduring the fundamental forces of nature.
Again, not fully understanding the reference, the triad were satisfied with the price, and selected this material. While they were at it, they made his tendons mutable. Without serious mutations, there was no way he would be able to keep his new muscles attached to his carapace.
Hurriedly, they turned their attention to his legs.
The legs were a curious body part for an ant type monster. They incorporated elements of many other segments of the body, yet still remained their own distinct classification. They were coated in the same carapace as the rest of the body, used the same sort of muscles, and yet, the internal structure, the claws, the five separate joints, the comb hairs, all of it combined to form something recognised by the System as distinct.
As his body increased in size and his overall mass continued to climb, Anthony needed a serious boost to the power and strength of his legs.
Again, the triad dove into the list of materials, seeking something that could withstand the immense strain that would be placed upon them, while suiting Anthony's overall build and budget.
Eventually, they settled on a candidate.
Graviton Splinters. Forged in hypergravity environments, this material is capable of enduring immense pressure, yet is also strangely resistant to the forces of gravity.
The evolution granted Anthony several unique organs, and the triad took it upon themselves to examine and place them within the body. The Everflow Well looked more like a ring than a well, empty on the inside. The more they examined it, the more they realised just how powerful such a thing could be. An endless source of power, it operated separately from the core, and, with mutations, would be capable of producing abundant amounts of energy. The only thing Anthony truly lacked was a source of infinite mana, since his physical strength, health, and fatigue could all be replenished by the Vestibule.
The only drawback was the type of mana produced. The tainted energy would be exceptionally difficult to work with, hard to break down, hard to turn to any purpose other than the type of toxic spellwork the Krath themselves had adapted.
Reluctantly, they placed it in the centre of his thorax, close to the core, and placed the new Infection Core in the centre of the ring. Without that new core, he wouldn't be able to survive his new species, since the rest of his body wasn't designed to tolerate such energies.
With that task done, they turned themselves to the final steps.
-x-X-x-
Even with so many changes made, there was still an abundance of energy remaining. A tier eight evolution was certainly no laughing matter, and the triad wavered back and forth over how it should be spent.
Reforging Anthony's brains was definitely a strong possibility, but would be expensive if done correctly. After all, there were multiple sub-brains to reforge, along with the coordination cortex and main brain. Doing some and not others would hamper efficiency, but doing all at once would use a huge chunk of the remaining energy.
There was a powerful argument for spending a large sum of energy on simply bulking up Anthony's raw power. With his musculature reset, adding more Might in the form of muscle mass was even more tempting, as he would get more bang for his buck from every drop spent there. Conversely, spending on his brains was another good idea, since Anthony's magic was exceptionally strong, but without reforging them, the efficiency was comparatively poor.
Fancy resets were one thing, but there was seldom a safer bet than sheer, raw power. Anthony had distributed his evolutionary energy across his brains and physical strength since the beginning, which had left him somewhat deficient in both.
The triad consulted and decided a sizeable portion of energy would be devoted to increasing his Might, Cunning, Toughness and Will.
With the decision made, they made another pass through his body, adding size where appropriate, density in other areas, increasing the mass of his brains and musculature. More bite strength, more muscle control around the legs and thorax, more brain matter. They worked as fast as they could, refining, shaping, ensuring that overall balance and efficiency wasn't compromised, relying on their hundreds of years of collective experience and extensive study of the ant form.
With the job done, they collectively nodded, satisfied with their work. Anthony would need to start mutating his tendons the second he woke up, lest he tear himself apart the moment he tried to move. Other than that, he would enjoy a significant boost to his statistical strength.
And yet, more energy remained. Reluctant to add more organs, they prevaricated, unsure of which direction to go, yet aware that every second that passed brought Anthony's death that little bit closer. After all, the evolutionary process wouldn't begin to consume the infection until after it had begun.
Pressed for time, the triad decided to break one of their own soft rules. They would commit to reforging the sub-brains and coordination cortex, but leave the main brain alone. If they tried to do all five, the remaining budget of evolutionary energy would force them into sub-optimal choices. Although it would cause some imbalance within Anthony, he would still benefit from vastly improved sub-brains, able to handle his general, non-gravity related spellcasting and improved coordination between them.
Committed to a course of action, the triad set to work, diving into the lists and looking for the most optimal materials.
The obvious direction for the sub-brains was to utilise a material especially suited to mind mana, since they cast and maintained the constructs that then went on to handle the rest of the mana, yet it wasn't necessarily the best choice. After all, any material could be specialised towards mind mana via mutation, and the most specialised brain materials were relatively cheap, but not the most powerful.
Ultimately, what mattered when handling mana was force of mind and will. They had enough evolutionary energy remaining to 'go for the good stuff', so to speak, and so they delved deeper into the lists, looking for a better choice.
Stormforce Array. A mental construct of energy and light, this material overcomes the limitations of the flesh. Imbued with the power of the storm, it enhances and magnifies strength of mind.
After being properly mutated, Anthony would find himself able to host more than double the amount of mind constructs, each far more powerful than before.
Next they turned their attention to the coordination cortex. Processing power almost didn't matter here. After all, the cortex was more of a relay than anything else. It only had to act as a medium for the actual brains to do the work efficiently. The only thing they had to focus on was speed.
With their remaining budget, purchasing such a specialised material was surprisingly simple. More dynamic options were always more costly, after all.
As it turned out, Radiant Dynamo looked perfect for the cause. With exceptionally fast transmission speed, the cortex would be able to function far faster than any of the brains it was connected to, which was necessary for it to work.
With the tiny amount of energy left over, the triad performed a final pass, making Anthony's nervous system mutable and ensuring every drop of energy was spent as they touched up his musculature.
With this, the evolutionary process was complete. All in all, Anthony would come out the other side much stronger than he was now, yet they were still unsatisfied, knowing this wasn't what he would have chosen for himself.
The triad resolved to trip the next cultist of Theorazzn they met, on a hard surface as well.
[Anthony? Are you happy with this?] they asked him.
The giant ant was strained to the breaking point, trying to hold back the infection that threatened to steal away his life at any moment.
[You… you did well. Start… start when you… can.]
The triad nodded, took a collective breath, then initiated the process.
Immediately, Anthony's consciousness began to slip away as his body fell into a deep slumber. Soon it would begin to change, eating up the energy from within, they just had to make sure he survived long enough for the process to work.
The triad slammed their hands against his carapace and pushed their minds within, desperate to help.
[He's going to sleep!] they announced to the surrounding healers. [Keep him alive just a little longer!]
~~~
The chal continued to slide along in a solemn procession while ants patiently waited in side tunnels and rooms for them to go past. Wherever they were headed, it was deep in the fortress, and at their current pace, it may take some time for them to get there.
The snails were still very small, after all.
Where are you going, little ones? Florence thought to herself. And just what are you going to do when you get there?
-x-X-x-
For Theresant, the slow 'march' of the snails through the fortress was agonising. At every turn, she would fret and worry. What if they hurt themselves? What if some soldier came blundering around the corner and stood on them? What if they were getting tired?
Yet she was powerless to intervene. She knew as well as anyone that locking the chal up within the snailcare centre would only result in them staring at the door once more, putting them right back where they started.
She had no choice but to let them do whatever it was they were so determined to do. Hopefully the grubs never started acting like this, or she wouldn't be able to deal with the stress. The very thought of having to shepherd a group of stubborn grubs through a nest was enough to make her start cleaning her antennae to soothe herself.
Even more irritating, Florence, alongside her, seemed to be having a wonderful time. Clacking her mandibles enthusiastically and cheering on the chal as they slid along at their slow, dignified pace.
"Don't encourage them," Theresant snapped.
"Oh, don't be silly," Florence laughed. "Whether I encourage them or not, they're going to keep doing what they're doing regardless. I may as well be positive about the whole thing, it's better than hovering about bringing down the mood."
"I'm just concerned."
"Of course. I still don't see what you think is going to happen to them. They're in the middle of the fortress! We have Brood Tenders running ahead to make sure the way is clear and everyone is being very patient and respectful," she gestured to the waiting ants watching the little procession move past with fascination.
"Yet we still don't know what they want to do," Theresant warned her sister. "This is the first time they ever showed any intention to leave the room, and we don't know why."
"I hardly think they're going to try and fling themselves into the fifth stratum to fight," Florence said, "and if they try to do something dangerous, we will intervene."
What she said made perfect sense, yet Theresant still couldn't shake the worry that nibbled at the back of her mind. Regardless, she had no choice but to follow as the chal slid through the tunnels, turning this way and that as they homed in on… something.
At their slow pace, the chal continued on their way for hours while Theresant oscillated between light worry and borderline panic. Eventually, the chal hesitated for a moment before finally committing to a direction. Only this time, there was a problem.
"Oh," Florence said as another Tender reported back to her.
"Oh? Oh what?" Theresant asked.
"Apparently we aren't able to clear the chamber ahead."
"Well then, we have to stop the hatchlings," Theresant replied immediately. "We can't allow them to go somewhere that isn't safe."
Florence was only half listening, her attention focused on the Tender reporting back to her.
"The Eldest is there?! Evolution!"
Each exclamation did little to settle Theresant's nerves, but the chal continued their resolute sliding, advancing toward the distant chamber without slowing their pace.
"The Eldest is evolving up ahead?" Theresant asked, seeking clarification, her eyes latched onto the snails. "Is there a problem?"
"Well…" Florence trailed off. "It seems as if the Eldest is also fighting off a dangerous mana infection. The healers are desperate to halt the spread, there are hundreds of them up ahead."
That didn't sound acceptable at all. Deadly mana? Hundreds of healers battling to save the Eldest's life? None of this was music to Theresant's ears. She was suddenly nervous for the Colony, for the Eldest, but also for the hatchlings. This wasn't the sort of situation they should be heading into!
"We have to stop them, Florence," she insisted. "We can't let them go in there."
"And yet… that seems to be exactly where they want to go."
Florence watched as the little snails seemed to even accelerate slightly, as if their destination was finally in sight. They didn't deviate in the slightest, this was definitely where they wanted to go, not even Theresant could deny it.
"I know what you want to say," Florence said, cutting off her sibling, "but there is no danger yet. Let's watch for a moment longer. We can gather the Tenders closer so we can scoop up the chal if anything goes wrong. If we take them back now, we're only going to wind up here again in a few hours' time."
As much as she might have wished it not to be true, Theresant could only agree. If they took the little snails back, they would be staring at the door again, trying to get out. Right now, the chal were in no danger.
Heart in her mandibles, she watched as they continued to slide forward. Closer and closer, they moved towards the chamber, finally crossing the threshold and entering within.
Once she saw what was inside, Theresant almost demanded that the Tenders gather up the hatchlings and take them away. The Eldest lay within, still, slumbering, and yet, somehow wrong. Healers covered them like a blanket, pressed against their carapace, seeking to cure some deep ailment. Even the golgari were there, hands placed against the carapace, eyes closed.
As she drew nearer, she began to sense it, the corruption that lay within, a foul taint that chewed at the Eldest from the inside. Her heart broke for the Eldest, and seized with fear for the hatchlings. She lunged forward, eager to save them from the danger, but she was too late.
The little snails slid right up to the giant ant's side, their eyes glittering with some deep sadness. As one, they drew breath, and began to sing.
-x-X-x-
The contamination inside Anthony had spread too far and too fast. Without the ant himself to hold back the tide, there was only so much the golgari and healers could do. Working with mana inside the body of another was so much harder than manipulating it in almost any other context.
The triad maintained their connection, pooling their three minds into one, yet they felt they were barely having an effect.
The mana of Theorazzn was absurdly potent, truly the work of an Ancient. Containing it, breaking it down, preventing it from spreading, was a monumental task, and frankly, it was impressive Anthony had held on as long as he had. The triad focused, bending their minds to the utmost to try and ensure the giant ant would survive, as did the hundreds of healers pressed against his carapace.
The evolution process had begun, Anthony had been dormant for almost two hours now, and the evidence was there to see for those pushing their consciousness within his body. The triad had to focus to avoid being too distracted, as none of the three had ever seen anything like this. Unfathomable energies swirled within that massive carapace, only just starting to take shape. New organs were forming, tissues being created, more layers of exo-skeleton being put together. Torrents of power flowed from within the core, spreading out to every inch of the ant's body.
And already, they were starting to suck in the poison, drawing in the power of Theorazzn and using it to shape themselves, yet the process was just too slow.
Is he going to make it?
The unity of the triad wobbled as doubts started to bubble up from within. If the three minds weren't in harmony, they could fall apart, which they couldn't afford to do. A fraction of a second later, they stabilised, their collective resolve firming.
He IS going to make it!
They just needed to hold on a little longer. Vortices of power were taking shape within Anthony, sucking in the energy they needed to take on a new form. With every passing second, those swirling masses of energy grew stronger, pulled in more and more power. In ten, perhaps twelve hours, they would be consuming the energy of Theorazzn faster than it could replicate itself. A day or so after that, they would probably be eating it so quickly that the healers and golgari wouldn't even be needed.
The finish line was there, they just had to make it, no matter how impossible it seemed right now.
When the singing started, the triad were so focused on their work they didn't react at first. It was external stimulus, a distraction, background noise that they and the other healers couldn't afford to pay attention to. They had a task, and it required every drop of focus and concentration they could muster.
When the change started, they certainly took notice. A tiny shift, an ever-so-slight wisp of energy, yet they saw it in an instant, because what they sensed simply could not be.
The energy of Theorazzn reacted. It changed. It never did that, it only consumed. The triad reeled back in shock, their harmony shattering in an instant.
"What in the name of the Worm was that?!" Granin bellowed.
"I-I don't know," Torrina replied, clutching at her temple.
"Did I… was that what I think it was?" Corun muttered, shaking his head as the forceful separation of their minds rattled him.
Granin was the first to recover, glaring about the chamber, desperate to understand what the disturbance could possibly be. Then his eyes landed on the snails, dozens of them, with glowing blue skin and shining golden eyes, replete with dignified moustaches, singing in unison a song so beautiful it brought tears to his eyes.
"What the heck is this?!" he bellowed, eyes boggling from within his stone skin.
A mind pushed toward his own, and he allowed the connection, which rapidly snapped into place.
[Keep your voice down! You'll disturb the hatchlings.]
Granin looked around until he saw a Brood Tender walking towards him. He dipped his head in respect, knowing just how highly the Colony held this particular caste of ants. Even so, it was difficult to ignore what was happening in front of him.
[Hatchlings?] he said, full of confusion.
They certainly didn't look like ants….
[They are chal hatchlings. We found Krath eggs that had been cleansed by the purified mana. These snails hatched out of them, and the Colony has taken them in,] another Brood Tender stated, joining the conversation. [For some reason, they were desperate to come here, so we let them out. We didn't know they wanted to sing to the Eldest… for some reason.]
There was a lot there for Granin to process. First of all… chal?! Secondly… the Krath were fallen chal?!?! Thirdly… this was the legendary song of the chal?!?!?!
[They aren't just singing to him,] Granin said, turning back to Anthony and slapping a hand on his carapace once more.
He focused inside the ant once more, pushing his mind as close to the toxic mana as he dared, fearing it would leap through his thoughts and into his mind. It was faint, just a breath, but the mana was reacting… changing.
[They're curing him,] he breathed.
[Curing him? What do you mean?]
Granin shook his head, hardly able to believe what he was seeing.
[They're doing something to the mana infecting Anthony… the Eldest. That shouldn't be possible. It should be a million miles away from possible. That's the mana of an Ancient!]
He looked again. Even the mana that had been pulled into Anthony's newly forming organs was being affected. Slowly at first, but with growing momentum, the snails were somehow transforming the taint, turning it into… something else. Being able to manipulate the mana inside another creature like this was… absurd… but doing it to the poison of Theorazzn? This was a miracle.
The little snails didn't seem to notice anything going on around them, they simply continued to sing in unison, a wordless song of peerless beauty that rang through the air and reached deep into the heart of the monster in front of them.
[This is a good thing, isn't it?] the Brood Tender asked. [Is the Eldest still in danger? Do you… have any idea how much longer this is going to take?]
Granin shook his head dazed, his thoughts spinning and he tried to consider the implications.
[The Eldest is still in danger,] he said, [but not nearly as much as before. As for how long? A long time, hours, at least. Possibly days.]
[Days?] the Tender exclaimed, dismayed, but Granin was no longer paying attention.
They were doing this mid-evolution. Anthony was busy consuming the mana of Theorazzn, and several of his new organs would make use of the unique properties that energy contained, but that mana was in the process of being changed. That would have an impact on the organs; there was no way they could turn out the same as they did before. The stuff they were being made from was changing, after all.
Granin thought of what the final outcome would be, but couldn't process it.
However, a flicker of hope began to burn within his chest. He had been disappointed at first, worried that Anthony would be permanently weakened by being forced onto this path.
Now? This could prove to be a blessing in disguise. Could he gain the benefits of Theorazzn's 'blessing' with none of the downsides?
"What's happening?" Torrina demanded. "Is everything alright? Shouldn't we get back to work?"
Granin planted his hands on his hips and stared.
"Give me a minute," he said. "You should take a second to soak this in as well. We may well be witnessing the birth of something truly, truly unique."
With a little luck, the twentieth Ancient.
-x-X-x-
Well, I've been on this ride before. Spinning like I'm going down a drain, only to sink so far and deep I can only imagine I've landed right in the middle of Pangera, right at the core.
Of course, I have no way to confirm that, I'm just a disembodied consciousness along for the ride. How does that even work, by the way? Who is Gandalf, that he can just snap my mind out of my body whenever I evolve? Not that I mind, really. Our conversations are somewhat enlightening. Well, that's not true, but I do like meeting new people, even if they don't answer any of my questions.
I have to say, this time around, I'm pretty happy to be out of my body. Holding back Theorazzn's damned curse isn't a good time, and after my horrifically shame-inducing itch explosion, the spread had gotten bad.
I've worked so hard to hide my secret from the Colony, and now it's been exposed for all to see! I'm so annoyed!!
In fact, if I get an answer to anything, I need to know why I'm the only one who suffers from this damned itch! It isn't fair, dammit! Gandalf must reveal this secret to me if it's the last thing I do!
[I must reveal… what, exactly?]
Gandalf! You can't sneak up on me like that! I'm just a disembodied mind, I have no way to know you're coming!
[You persist in calling me this name.]
You aren't going to tell me your real name, are you?
[No, I am not.]
There you are, then. Gandalf.
[Fine. Now what are you complaining about?]
The itch! The damned itch! Every time I mutate, it itches like crazy! I figured it made sense, since my cells were changing or whatever, but nobody else goes through it! Not even other reincarnated people! How is that fair?
[Well… the Dungeon isn't exactly designed to be fair.]
Wait. You designed it? The whole Dungeon?
[No. I did not.]
Come on, I might be dead in a minute, you should give me at least one answer!
[Oh, I don't believe you are going to die, otherwise I would not have summoned you here. I have no interest in talking to those who have no immediate future.]
Well, you might not know this, but I've got Theorazzn's toxic goop infecting me. It's not looking good. It certainly wasn't when I left, anyway, and I can't imagine it's gotten better.
[You will be surprised, I think, when you wake. Some grudges, it seems, are genetic. Even I had not imagined that something like this was possible. I can well imagine the fury of that irritating starfish when they learn of what has happened. How delightful.]
Gandalf chuckles to themself, but I'm left confused.
Starfish?
[Theorazzn. If I were to describe the creature to you, they would be something of a cross between a crab and a starfish.]
Oh… weird. I thought for sure they would be a slug.
[Well… they are something of a slug as well.]
That… that isn't making much sense to me. How in the heck am I supposed to picture that?! Anyways, all of this is beside the point. Your cryptic talk of grudges and such is meaningless to me. The itch! I demand answers!
[You are being particularly irritating this time.]
I've had a bad day.
[Considering the life you've lived, that must be some day.]
Honestly… yes. Even for me, this one has been poor.
[Only poor? That sounds more like you. Very well. I will take a look. Give me a moment.]
I can't really describe what it's like to have your mind/soul picked up, turned upside down and shaken, but that's exactly what happens to me in that moment. It's a profoundly strange experience. Honestly, I recommend it. If anyone else from the Colony comes down here, I'll get them to ask for it.
[They don't come here. Very few do.]
I thought you spoke to everyone like me, at least? All of the reborn people?
[I do, but only once for most of them. Before they reach another evolution, they either go completely insane or become uninteresting. You, on the other hand, continue to surprise me.]
Well… that's good, I suppose.
[As for your… issue. I truly have never seen this before. You aren't supposed to be able to feel the changes taking place at the cellular level. Nobody is. An organism doesn't feel it when new cells are created, so how are you able to experience these changes?]
I don't know! Weren't you going to tell me? You're the wise wizard with the eyebrows of incredible expressiveness! Between the two of us, it's obvious who has the answers.
[I don't… never mind. This is… interesting. I can only imagine that your soul is somehow embedded more deeply within your new body than is normally possible. Are you… sure you weren't an ant in your previous life?]
You know very well I was a human! I had hands! I had two legs! Which is an inferior number of legs, of that I'm fully aware, but two nonetheless!
[I do know that,] Gandalf muses. [Fascinating. Even regular monsters aren't so fully integrated with their bodies. I wonder how this could possibly have happened?]
So… can you fix it?
[Do you want me to?]
Well, I won't lose any sort of competitive advantage, will I? I mean, this isn't the only reason I'm still alive or anything, is it?
[If anything, I believe it's a disadvantage, as your most recent mutation period has proven.]
Great! Well, fix away! I'll be glad to be rid of it.
…
…
…
You aren't going to fix it, are you?
[No.]
WHY?!
[Because it's interesting.]
-x-X-x-
I think I hate you.
[Oh, I am well accustomed to being hated. If anything, I find it an honour to be hated by you. This is the human who didn't hate his family, no matter how poorly they treated him.]
You never let that go, do you? My life wasn't that remarkable. I had some hard times. Who doesn't?
[You-]
I know how I died! Sheesh. Every time with this guy.
[Perhaps we should shift the conversation. I'm interested to see how your evolution is going to turn out. The process to this point has been… fascinating.]
Is that what you call it? I haven't been a fan myself. I'd much rather be able to pick my own evolution than be boxed into a corner by a stupid Ancient.
[I understand your point of view, but I don't think you quite appreciate what an opportunity has landed in your lap. The mana of Theorazzn is quite unique, and far more powerful than a monster of your tier could ever dream of being exposed to. Having it incorporated into your body will have effects that you haven't even guessed at.]
Even if that's true… I refuse to thank that slug… crab… fish thing.
[By all means, pour as much scorn on the Ancient as you wish. I encourage it.]
If Gandalf is telling me things are going to turn out better than I think, then maybe there's hope for this evolution after all? When the golgari described the Colony Ascendant to me, I nearly bit my own antennae off in frustration. It sounded so good! I would have picked it for sure.
[Yes, having your helpers manage your evolution was also a good choice. They are much better at it than you.]
How rude! I've gotten this far, haven't I? Clearly I'm doing something right.
[Part of what makes you so amusing to track is how you have continued to survive, seemingly without having spent any time or thought on how you might best improve yourself. This approach is… rather unique among the monsters who have achieved the level of strength you have.]
I feel like I'm being complimented and insulted at the same time. I've put thought in! A lot of thought!
[Have you really?]
Well… no. But I've listened to advice!
[Luckily for you, that advice has been good. They have done a good job cleaning up many of the inefficiencies in your base design. I think you will feel the difference immediately when you awaken.]
If I tell Granin and the others that their methods are Gandalf-approved, will that make them happy? I don't suppose they'll have any idea what the heck I'm talking about. He might be the voice of the System, but I'm not actually talking to the System, if that makes any sense. At any rate, the Gandalf I'm speaking to has been at pains to point out they aren't the System itself.
Unless you feel like clarifying exactly who you are, for a change?
[I do not.]
I figured. I swear, you can't be happy unless you have some secrets stashed up your beard. Don't you understand how freeing it can be to share your burdens?
[Do you really think that will persuade me? I have said it before. If you wish to learn more, go deeper in the Dungeon. The only place where all truths can be known is the centre of this world.]
It's not like I have a choice, really, is it? The Call is going to drag me down there whether I like it or not.
[Are you saying you wouldn't descend without the Call? I find that hard to believe.]
Can't I just want to retire and tickle grubs? It's an incredibly relaxing and fulfilling way to spend your time, I promise you. The grubs are adorable too, which doesn't hurt.
[I am not tempted.]
You're missing out. I don't really think I would go down there if I wasn't forced to. If I didn't have the Call, I probably still would have wound up there, not because I wanted to, but because I would need to make sure my family wouldn't be destroyed by those stupid Ancients. The only way I can do that is to be stronger than them, right?
[That is certainly the easiest way.]
If I had to guess, I'd say the Colony will eventually reach a point where they don't need my protection anymore. Until then, I have to make sure nothing happens to them. If that means heading down there, then that's what it means.
[You didn't always have this level of resolve.]
Well, I suppose I'm changing bit by bit. I can't expect to live this kind of life and come out the other side exactly the same now, can I?
[I suppose not. Now, I sense that our time together is coming to an end. I look forward to our next meeting, if you survive that long. You are not the only one heading deeper, and the competition looks to be fierce this cycle. I wish you all the best.]
Competition? For what? Never mind, I know you aren't going to tell me. Nice talking to you, Gandalf. I suppose it'll be a while before I get the chance to talk to you again. Although, if you could remove any options for my next evolution that turn me into a bodiless swarm, or energy, or whatever, I'd be grateful. Waste of a slot.
[They are extremely powerful.]
Who cares?! I want a body!
Ah, my consciousness is fading. Well, returning is probably a more accurate term. Back to the body, back to the evolution. Time for a brief nap, then back into action. I'll be glad to leave the whole fifth stratum behind me. Time for a new adventure.
[This nap may not be brief,] Gandalf's voice reaches me faintly. [What's happening to you is far from normal.]
Wait… what's happening to me? Gandalf? What the heck is going on?!
But there's no response. No matter how I thrash, my consciousness is forced into the darkness, and there I remain.
-x-X-x-
The fifth stratum was changing. Tended by the healers, the heart had survived its purification, rotten and slime-covered flesh giving way to healthy red muscle that now pumped stronger than ever. But that wasn't the only change.
Filled with a deep sense of satisfaction, Solant looked down into the depths of the lower chamber. The whirlpool had finally faded, a sign that perhaps Theorazzn's contamination was no more, and now fully half of the chamber was filled with placid waters. Except, it wasn't water, nor anything like it, but pure, liquid mana. Cleansed by the wuffers and condensed via some means only Brilliant understood, the stuff was so concentrated and powerful that even now, it still hadn't fully dispersed.
It didn't hurt that the fortress had once again opened the channels, though in a vastly reduced capacity from before. A trickle of liquefied mana continued to flow into the heart, but it wouldn't be enough to maintain the level of liquid below. With every second that passed, the mana was breaking up and filling the air, a cloud so dense that Solant could almost see it with her own eyes.
Ba-thump! Ba-thump! Ba-thump!
The walls of the heart shuddered around her, contracting and expanding, pumping mana throughout a vast swathe of Dungeon. The vibrations that filled the chamber were so potent they sent the fine hairs on Solant's antennae quivering, a disorienting and uncomfortable sensation, but one she could tolerate to be here and watch her plan unfold.
Already the change was happening. Scouts had begun to sweep the tunnels surrounding the heart as they filled with pure mana, wiping away the corruption and filth that had infested them for so long. New monsters were starting to spawn, creatures devoid of the toxins and mucus that had pervaded the fifth for so long. This heart, this section of the fifth, had been taken back from the Krath, and from Theorazzn, the first true victory over the corruption in thousands of years.
As the architect of this triumph, Solant allowed herself a few moments to feel pleased, but only a few. They had no idea how many hearts remained, but there would be hundreds, perhaps thousands, if not more, and she had no doubt the slug tribes would unite against them, desperate to push back the invasion and reclaim what they saw as theirs and theirs alone. The challenge would be brutal, but the Colony would overcome, of that, she was certain.
[I never imagined this would be the outcome of your invasion.]
Commander Chyron stepped up beside the ant general, her eyes roaming over the pure red flesh of the heart. Solant clacked her mandibles in amusement.
[You thought we would fail? That the fortress would crumble and all of us die? I find it odd those were your beliefs, seeing as you chose to join us inside the fortress walls.]
[I did think that,] Chryon readily admitted.
[But you had a way out.]
[I always leave a way out for my soldiers. They are too precious to be thrown away.]
[In that,] Solant mused, [you and the Eldest find much common ground. For my part, I knew we would be standing here, looking at this sight, having this conversation.]
[Your foresight extends so far? Is that what you would have me believe?] Chyron asked, cocking one brow.
[I cannot see the future, but I, much like the Legion, understand where wars are won. On the training ground. In the foundries. In the preparation and logistics. I was ready for this conflict, and the Krath were not. The result was always likely to tilt in my favour.]
Chyron nodded thoughtfully, looking down at the little general.
[You're an interesting ant,] she said finally. [Of all the ants I've spoken to, you seem to be the only one with an ego. Does it feel strange to be so different from your siblings? Some might look at you and think you are the wedge that will split your family apart.]
Solant waggled her antennae as she considered the question.
[I am different from the others,] she acknowledged, [but only because that difference is something that the Colony needs. I and the other champions each provide something the others lack, a point of difference, a new perspective. Brilliant, with her endless thirst for knowledge, Vibrant, with her boundless energy and optimism, me, with my bottomless hunger for victory. We push the Colony to act differently, poke holes in an otherwise uniform shape, letting in new ideas and ways of doing.]
[So you know what you are. Champions, unique and special monsters, born with advantages that others don't enjoy.]
[We all know what we are,] Solant confirmed. [The Eldest was involved in teaching all of us, and they have instilled us with an understanding of our responsibilities.]
[And how did they teach you?]
Solant clacked her mandibles, amused.
[They beat me.]
Chyron glanced down at the general, then nodded. That would indeed be a lesson for the little perfectionist.
[I tried to poison them,] Solant added, casually. [Sadly, my methods were ineffective.]
[You regret not being able to poison your leader?] Chyron asked carefully.
[I regret being unable to win. Slight point of difference.]
This ant truly was an unusual specimen. Chyron could only shake her head.
[And of course, you know that your Eldest is different, but not in the same way you are, am I right? That soul was not born an ant. Not at first, anyway.]
Solant shifted slightly.
[Of course we know. Everyone knows. However, I do disagree with you in one sense. You said that soul was not born as an ant first, and that is true. Anthony was a human. We know this. It is my personal belief, however, that this was simply an error on the part of the universe.]
[The universe?]
[Or the System, or whatever you want to call it. Brilliant has many thoughts on the matter, but I don't especially care. My point is, that soul was certainly meant to be born an ant first. The order has simply been confused somehow.]
[... I see.]
Chyron stepped forward, right to the edge of the platform they were standing on, and looked down at the pool of liquid mana beneath them, her eyes cold and hard.
[I must be told how you learned to make this,] she said, her tone deadly serious. [Liquid mana is a secret not known to many.]
[Brilliant invented it, by accident, or so I'm told. I can ask her to explain it to you. She will probably even agree. There is little she enjoys more than letting others know how clever she is.]
Solant shifted her legs, warming up her joints as she prepared to depart.
[We didn't steal it from the Legion, if that's what you're worried about. Would a Legionary really spill your secrets to us? Despite being no longer human, you cling to your prejudices just as fiercely as any 'sapient race'.]
Chyron turned and glared at the ant.
[I am human,] she said, a statement as hard as Abyssal Steel.
[You were,] Solant disagreed, calm and logical, as always. [Mana doesn't move through a human the way it moves through you. In fact, your relationship to mana is much closer to ours than it is to a human's. You need it to survive, don't you? Just like us. I don't know how, but you've changed yourselves in order to grow stronger, made your bodies more like the things you fight, in order to better destroy them. I wonder…] she said, antennae waving thoughtfully.
[... I wonder if you could have given yourselves a core, but chose not to, because that would be a step too far. It would be impossible to still claim humanity at that point; certainly no one else would see you that way.]
Chyron was silent for a long moment, anger flaring in her eyes. When she spoke, it was with utter finality.
[We have made sacrifices in order to protect what needs to be protected. My flesh has changed, it's no longer what it once was, but my soul remains human.]
She smirked.
[Much like your Eldest's.]
Solant laughed.
[Falling at the final hurdle. I fear you will grow accustomed to that, in the coming years. You will watch the back of the Colony, as we succeed in every area you dreamed the Legion would. As we conquer everything you hoped you would conquer, and overcome everything you could never overcome.]
She gestured to the heart.
[This is only the beginning. Soon, Pangera will wonder why they ever needed you in the first place. The Colony will be their protector, their soldier, the light against the darkness and the spear that penetrates the deep.]
[And then you turn on them. Dominated by a bigger and stronger monster, you succumb to your base instincts and consume everything you thought you would protect. We have seen all of this before.]
Solant shook her head.
[Again, you almost reach the goal, but fall at the end. You have seen things that resembled us before, but there has never been anything quite like the Colony. In the history of this world, we are unique, and we will be victorious.]
-x-X-x-
By the time the little snails had finished singing, an entire day had passed. Much to the horror of the Brood Tenders, the little creatures collapsed the moment their song was complete. Ants swarmed over the snails, gently picking them up as they retreated into their shells and then scurrying away, returning them to wherever they had come from.
Granin watched the entire procession, utterly bewildered by everything that had taken place. He didn't need to check on Anthony, the giant ant was still sleeping soundly as his evolution wound on, and Granin had been in almost constant contact with him for a whole day. The contamination was just… gone. The song of the snails had cleansed it out of him somehow—not just cleansed it, changed it, turning it from a fatal infection into… something else entirely. Just what, it was too early to say.
Whatever path Granin had thought Anthony was being pushed down had now utterly changed. The organs that were forming within him were nothing like what they should have been, and it was still early in the process. In fact, given the changes that had taken place, this evolution was likely to take much longer than it otherwise would have.
He turned to the other members of his triad.
"We should go back and get some rest," he told them. "Nothing is going to change in the near future, and he is through the worst of it."
"Are you sure one of us shouldn't remain, just in case?" Torrina asked him.
Granin shook his head.
"There's a literal army of healers here watching him. There's nothing we can do that they can't do better. Besides, you're exhausted, I'm exhausted. We can process what we've seen better after we've had some rest and time to reflect."
There was a lot to reflect on. So much had happened, Granin felt his head was spinning. After hundreds of years of life, he had never imagined he would see something like what he had witnessed in this chamber. A tier eight mythic evolution, the toxic virulence of an Ancient, the resurrection of the chal, the true nature of the Krath. It was enough to make him question… nearly everything he had ever thought he'd believed in his entire life.
At that moment, there was a scream of almost unimaginable pain that caused Granin to whip his head around, his heart pounding in his chest as this new threat materialised.
Except, he didn't see a threat, he saw a small gathering of what appeared to be human scholars, wearing the robes of the Tower, on their knees, hands outstretched as the Tenders disappeared into the distance with the snails in their grip.
When the last of the snails vanished out of sight, some of the scholars began to openly weep, fat tears rolling down their cheeks and snot dribbling from their noses and into their beards. Granin was, once again, dumbfounded. How many more shocking sights could one day bring?
"A… are they alright?" Corun asked, looking at the humans askance.
"Do they look alright?" Granin muttered.
He would never understand facial hair. Messy outgrowths from the face that the humans could remove if they chose, but elected not to. Along with their general squishiness, it was something he had always struggled with when interacting with them. Before the triad could make a clean exit, one of the more calm humans saw the three golgari and approached, hand raised in a friendly wave.
"Hello there!" he greeted them, then gave an embarrassed chuckle. "I'm sorry about my colleagues. They had only just heard that the chal were here singing and were desperate to see it for themselves. Arriving a few seconds too late seems to have been rather… painful, for some of them."
Granin flicked his eyes to the scholars, still ugly crying, now clinging to each other for support.
"I see," he rumbled. "Well, my students and I are tired after an… eventful day. We will retire now."
Before he could turn away, the much smaller man who didn't even come up to his shoulder reached out to place a hand on his forearm.
"Please. Ah, I mean no offence," he said, removing his hand. "I merely plead with you to spare a few moments of your time. My friends and I are here on something of a studying vacation and are eager to learn everything we can.
"Before I go on, I have been unspeakably rude. My name is Rathwyn Werilos, magio-scholar of the Tower. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
The man made an exquisite bow and extended his hand, this time in greeting, and Granin found his own had extended to cover half the distance between them before he even realised he'd started moving. Catching himself, he snatched his hand back at the last second, eyeing the newcomer suspiciously.
"Are you a diplomat or a merchant?" he asked.
Rathwyn smiled a wry smile.
"Diplomat," he said honestly.
"That's worse."
"I know."
Granin could only sigh.
"Give me a moment to send my students on their way, then I can spare you some time. Is that enough?"
"Of course, you are more than generous. Allow me to step back, I would never dream of intruding on the dialogue between a triad."
Granin grunted, then waited as the mage stepped back before he addressed his students.
"This human could talk you two into selling your own second-skin and have you thank him for not charging a fee for pulling it off your hide. Be very careful around him, and any of these other scholars. The Silver City is a world of its own, a dangerous one. Try not to get entangled. Go rest."
"Isn't using those sorts of abilities extremely illegal?" Corun hissed.
"Not if you're a diplomat."
"Will you be alright?" Torrina asked, as Corun started sliding away from the mage, heading for the exit.
"I'll be fine," Granin replied. "Go and sleep."
With a final, concerned glance, Torrina turned and joined Corun in his hasty escape.
"I really am trying to suppress my abilities to the greatest extent I can," Rathwyn assured him.
It was something his type often said, but strangely, Granin actually believed it. This man was truly good at his job.
"Alright, I'm Granin," he said, folding his arms across his massive chest. "What is it you want to know?"
Rathwyn tilted his head to the side a little.
"You're almost immune to manipulation, aren't you?" he said curiously.
Granin tapped himself on his bare, stone covered face.
"Granite," he said, by way of explanation.
Rathwyn smiled warmly.
"I think we can be good friends, you and I."
Granin did not return his expression.
"I don't," he said.
-x-X-x-
It didn't take long to recount the story of what had occurred, and Rathwyn reacted with the same disbelief and shock that Granin himself still felt.
"That's… that's extraordinary," the mage muttered. "Who could have thought that the chal were capable of such a feat?"
Granin frowned.
"They aren't," he said flatly.
Rathwyn raised his brows.
"Perhaps I… did not fully understand your words, Shaper Granin. Am I correct in saying that the snails were able to cure the toxin of the Ancient?"
"Yes."
"So, forgive me, in what way are they incapable of performing the feat which you just attributed to them?"
Granin sighed and pinched his brow, stone grating on stone. As remarkable as it was, he wasn't especially interested in this beyond how it related to his friend, Anthony. He was an expert in monsters, not in ancient, long-dead singing snails.
"The chal are extinct," Granin said, "everyone knows that. They've been gone for over a thousand years."
"Yes, but the Colony has, somehow, brought them back."
"No," Granin corrected. "The Colony has brought back cleansed Krath."
Rathwyn blinked.
"Again, I must apologise because I do not take your meaning. Are they not the same thing?"
The others were still weeping in the distance, but showed some signs of managing to pull themselves together. It was about time. The ants were, although polite, still obviously uncomfortable with so much noise and disruption around their Eldest. Already they were starting to make preparations for the construction that would soon start to take place, turning this normal chamber into an impenetrable bunker within the fortress. No measures would be skipped to ensure the safety and survival of the most senior ant in the family.
"They are not," Granin stated, as if it were obvious. To him, it was. "It's obvious that the chal were corrupted and fell to become the Krath, but after thousands of years, cleansing the corruption out of them doesn't just turn them back into perfect chal again, the same as they once were. Those snails aren't chal, they are cleansed Krath. There is a difference."
"I see," Rathwun murmured, brow furrowed in thought as he too folded his arms and pondered. "What you say has a certain logic to it. Cleansed Krath, rather than chal. Close to what they were, but not the same."
"If you want the final proof, look over my shoulder," Granin said, jerking his thumb toward the slumbering ant. "If baby chal were capable of cleansing corruption by singing at it, the toxin of Theorazzn no less, then how on Pangera did they fall and become Krath in the first place?"
Rathwyn's eyes widened as the realisation struck him. What Granin said was perfectly logical. These snails were mere infants, yet their powers of purification were at an absurd level. An empire of seasoned chal took on the fifth and were utterly defeated, vanishing from Pangera forever. The two facts didn't line up at all. The only explanation was that the chal had never possessed powers of this nature; ergo, the little snails were indeed very different from what their ancestors had been.
"You have opened my eyes," Rathwyn said with sincere gratitude as he offered a distinguished bow. Granin rolled his eyes.
"Please, I'm a Shaper. Don't bow at me."
"As you wish," the mage smiled. "Yet your scholarly credentials and acumen are to be celebrated, Shaper Granin. I would be most grateful if we were to have further opportunities to converse in the near future. I'm sure my colleagues would be most grateful as well."
"Them?" Granin pointed to the group only now picking each other off the floor, eyes puffy and red from weeping.
"... Yes. They are dedicated and… enthusiastic in the pursuit of their studies. The chance to witness history come to life in such a grand spectacle had them quite excited."
"I'm happy to talk when I have the time," Granin conceded. If he didn't give in a little, then there could be friction down the line. Fostering good relationships was always a good idea, even with crazies like the magio-scholars. "Though, I should mention a few things."
"Oh?" Rathwyn said, curiosity lighting up his eyes. Violet eyes, oddly enough. Was that a family trait?
"First, I'm a Shaper, but my triad and I specialise in knowledge and fields pertaining to monsters, cores and pets."
"A valuable area of research."
"Second," Granin ploughed on, "we are members of the Worm Cult, worshippers of Yarrum who have exiled ourselves from our own people to be amongst the Colony."
"I… see," Rathwyn said, his enthusiasm fading somewhat as a troubled expression fell over his face.
"I don't think anyone back at your tower would look well on you spending time with us."
"What you say has merit," the mage agreed, "though here among the ants, who is to say what we do or who we speak to?" He winked, a gesture Granin did not return.
"Third, we are here for Anthony. He is our number one priority, and we will be devoting most of our time to him while he is evolving."
"Oh. Oh."
Rathwyn's eyes flicked to the ant, unmoving, fully understanding what Granin was trying to tell him.
"You are being very forthcoming. I can only presume you have a reason," he probed.
Granin allowed himself a slight smile.
"You and your group want to study these… new chal. There's a stunning example of what they're capable of resting over there."
"You want us," Rathwyn said slowly, "to help study the changes, in order to help the monster, Anthony."
"That's right."
The Magio-Scholars of the Silver City were amongst the best and brightest humans in the entire Dungeon. Granin would welcome their insight in studying this puzzle, since he doubted he could come up with an answer on his own.
"And you think he's a potential Ancient, capable of destroying the world?" Rathwyn probed.
"That's not how it works," Granin scowled. "Breaking free of the prison and destroying it are not the same thing. Labelling all the cults as lunatics trying to break Pangera is completely false."
"Oh, I don't know," Rathwyn quipped. "The nutters in the Cult of Thoughts can be quite fairly labelled as lunatics."
Granin frowned as he looked sideways at the mage.
"You aren't…"
Rathwyn smiled.
"I'm a diplomat," he said, "I meet all kinds."
"But you aren't a cultist?" Granin asked bluntly.
The scholar spread his hands, letting the long sleeves of his robes drape down by his sides.
"Well now. Who can say?"
-x-X-x-
Life slowly returned to normal around the fortress. In fact, better than normal. 'Normal' had come to mean an endless battle against the fifth, against the toxin, the Krath, the mucus and monsters. 'Normal' meant hospitals filled with partially dissolved ants, or those suffering from parasites. It meant barracks filled with humans, golgari, Folk, all praying to the Great One that they would make it through their next shift on the platform.
For a long time in the fortress, there had been no such thing as 'normal'.
As Solant walked along the tunnels, she could tell that there was a different feeling among her many sisters. Members of the Colony were always dedicated, unwavering, brave and willing to endure much for the benefit of the family, yet even they had been pushed to the brink by the horrors of the fifth. A good general was always mindful of the state of her soldiers, and Solant knew that they had suffered greatly. It would be some time before they were ready to be pushed that hard again.
Yet now, the surrounding tunnels were being flushed with new mana, and the fifth was in the process of tearing itself apart. Every time the scouts went out, they found the cleansed mana spreading, the corruption retreating. New monsters were already spawning in the tunnels around the heart, growing stronger as they fought and battled with each other and the corrupted monsters around them.
The ants had springs in their steps, a new lightness in all six legs. They had done the impossible and triumphed against the odds. They had fought so bitterly, many of them being healed and cleansed dozens of times over the course of the wave.
Of course, it was victory that soothed the hearts and minds of those who had struggled, as Solant had always known it would.
Stepping into the headquarters, Solant was pleased to see all of her nineteen closest siblings had gathered. Deep in preparation for the next stage of the conquest, they didn't even notice her entry.
"The gathering mechanisms will need to be totally redesigned," Juliant declared. "If our experience here at the fortress has told us anything, it's that throughput controls are a must. Having the flow of mana be 'on' or 'off' is woefully inadequate."
"What are you proposing?" her fellow carver Subutant asked her sister.
"I have a few sketches I'd like you to review, if possible."
"Of course."
"Mapping out the surrounding tunnels is our first priority," Leonidant reminded them all. "If we don't know the ground we're fighting over, we have no chance of victory."
"The scouts are moving as quickly as they can," Washingtant spoke up. "Our models of the surrounding tunnels are expanding by hundreds of kilometres every day, but most places are still dangerously contaminated, which is slowing us down."
"It will be weeks, if not months, before this area of the fifth has been fully cleansed," Solant announced, joining their conversation. "There are vast reservoirs of concentrated mucus, entire lakes of it, along with other locations riddled with contamination. Even the vast amount of mana we have pumped into the heart already may not be enough to eliminate it all."
She reached the centre of the group and looked at the detailed model of the fifth they had surrounded. Indeed, as the scouts had said, it had expanded greatly since the last time she had looked at it. The Colony was pushing further and further out, taking advantage of the weakened state of the fifth. It wouldn't be long until they found the borders of the area affected by the heart they had conquered and entered a brand new territory.
"In the meantime, we have a great deal of work to do. Our initial plans for the wider campaign need to be reviewed. I want reports on the effectiveness of every formation and tactic used on the field during the wave. I want the battalions back on the training ground in six days, and we need an updated suite of drills for them by then."
She clacked her mandibles thoughtfully.
"Continue to experiment and prototype with your intake designs," she told the two carvers, Juliant and Subutant. "Consult with Tungstant and get her input as well. The mana channels and wuffer platforms will also need review. The network is going to be much more distributed than it is now, which will come with many challenges.
"We will need to speak with the core shapers as well. They have been working very successfully with Formo the Sophos and have viable designs to unleash into the corrupted zones. They will somehow have to balance that project along with massively scaling up our wuffer numbers."
It had taken everything the Colony had to create the fortress and succeed in this initial invasion. All of the resources of their combined territories had poured into the fifth to make this possible, but the war was only going to expand and grow more expensive from this point onward. They had to be ready.
"I myself will go to the fourth and third to ensure that our supply chains and logistics are strengthened. The nests above have been scaling their capacity and production, but it will all be for naught if those materials can't be brought to the front in a timely manner.
"Finally, we mustn't forget the true enemy."
She clacked her mandibles coldly.
"There are Krath nests still tucked away and hidden within the Colony's territory. They must be rooted out. We cannot move forward and leave an enemy at our backs.
"Remember. Our victory or defeat will be determined right here and now, in the planning stages. If we are prepared, we will win. Every decision is crucial. No guesswork. We must know ourselves, know the enemy, and know the terrain. If we do that, we cannot fail."
-x-X-x-
Vibrant raced along the tunnels, laughing brightly as she sliced through the monster who tried to reach out and grasp her, only to be left flailing in her wake.
"Too slow! Too slow!" she cried joyfully, running literal circles around them as they tried to harm her in any way.
Yet they were always too slow. To her eyes, they moved in slow motion, their mucus blasts trailing through the air so gradually she could have carved faces in them before dodging out of the way. Still, this was exciting! New monsters to fight, new tunnels to run down, new things to see! After being cooped up in the fortress for so long, Vibrant had been bouncing off, and through, the walls. To be able to stretch her legs at last was such a relief!
She snapped her mandibles wide open as blades of light emerged from their tips. Not bothering to bite, she raced around her foes, cutting through them with sheer speed and sharpness. When the last of the monsters fell, she allowed her jaws to close, the light fading along with them.
It took a lot of energy to fight like this, and she was starting to feel a little tired, though her reserves would rapidly fill. Her brain was also on fire after processing at such high speeds.
What a pain. She wanted to go fast all the time! In fact, she wanted to go even faster than this! It would be a looong time before she was able to evolve again, but Vibrant could hardly wait. There were so many problems she needed to fix! So much more speed to attain!
Standing still for a while allowed her to recover her strength more rapidly, but it was boooring, so she indulged in a rapid series of micro-naps. Each was only a few hundredths of a second long, but helped to cool her brains, and, more importantly, pass the time.
It was six whole seconds before the first of her followers caught up to her.
"Vvvvvvvviiiiiiibrrrrrraaaaaaaaaannnnnnntttttt...… YYYyyyyyyyyoooooooooouuuuuuuuuuuuu neeeeeeeeeeedddddd tttttttooooooooo ssssssssssslllllllllllooooooowwwwwwwwww dddddddddoooooooowwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnn!"
Ugh. It was worse than talking to the Eldest. How did anyone manage to live their life so slowly?
"Nope-nope!" she said. "I suppose I could slow down, but I really want to run more after being holed up for so long, don't you? We have so much ground to cover, and we can only be out here for a certain amount of time, so we should be going as quick-quick as we can!"
The carvers had told her, multiple times, very slowly, that the protection they had provided her and her followers against corruption would only last for an hour. After that time, the mana within would be drained and they would be exposed to the toxins of the fifth.
Apparently, those toxins were so fast that Vibrant couldn't run away from them. Somehow, she doubted that, but apparently she wasn't allowed to try. It was a shame, she really didn't think anything could catch her, but she was excited to see if something could. If so, that was proof she could get quicker.
Oh, her follower was talking again. A few naps might make it bearable.
"Wwweeeeee cccaaannn'tttttt kkkeeepppp uuupppp wwwiiittthhhh yyyoouuuu."
Vibrant laughed. Of course they couldn't! They'd never been able to keep up with her, but they tried their best, which was extremely nice of them. Usually things worked out better this way. She would get to fight all the strongest things and take care of them before anyone else was able to show up. She had fun and everyone was safe!
"Do your best-best!" she chirped, her brain spinning up again as renewed strength surged through her carapace and into her legs.
She tensed, and then she was off! A literal blur as she accelerated so quickly the wind was sucked into a vacuum behind her.
Of course, she didn't try to run at top speed straight away. Leg injuries were the worst, and she'd broken several before someone had told her she needed to build up her speed over time, rather than try to hit it the second she started moving.
That didn't seem right to her, but the frequency of her broken legs did go down a lot, so she was forced to accept it was probably correct. For now.
Wind blasted along the smooth, aerodynamic curves of her carapace, the folds and grooves supposedly doing something with the air to make her faster. She had so many mutations centered on speed now it was hard to keep track of what all of them did. The grumpy stone-person had taken her through it all step by step, but she'd forgotten most of it since then. Some things created upward lift as she ran, making her lighter and lighter the faster she got, others caused the wind to press in on her sides, helping her steer without relying totally on the strength of her legs, which struggled to handle the overwhelming forces being applied to them.
Then, of course was the single spell Vibrant had ever been bothered to learn. She'd never bothered before, but the stone-man had told her it would be a very useful idea that would help her go faster, so she'd struggled hard to master it.
A tiny, diamond-shaped force field, projected two metres in front of her face. It was reeeaaaallly hard to hold it there as she ran, but it helped break the wind before she hit it with her face, and that had made a big difference.
She picked up more and more speed as she continued to accelerate, her legs moving in a blur. Vibrant blasted through the wide tunnel, zooming left then right and she swerved around the rocks and monsters until she felt that momentary pressure… then….
BOOOOMMMMMM!
A resounding shockwave exploded from around her carapace and Vibrant laughed joyously.
There was so much more ground to cover, and so little time!
Pushing herself harder, she continued to pick up speed.