What is specialization? From studies, research and observations completed on over hundreds of different species. It was concluded that it simply is the most ideal path that can be taken by a lifeform that conforms to its most base emotion. Case in point, experiment 280. A Tier 4 Rockwyrm was traced and observed for its entire existence before specialization. It was observed to have an unhealthy desire towards shiny objects, as it hoarded any valuable it plundered from neighboring monster civilizations as well as those obtained from the earth. Upon achieving the prerequisite amount of experience to evolve, it became a Tier 5 Rockwyrm with the ability to transmute certain objects and metals into other metals. The ability was quite unexpected and extremely rare for its species, as well as being very overpowered. Imagine being able to convert the head of an incoming orichalcum spear into aluminum. Or turning a mountain of iron into gold. Specialization allows unbelievable things to become possible, but we believe it is more in depth and intrapersonal, but research is indecisive.

-An excerpt from “An in-Depth Study of Tiers and their Significance to the SYSTEM”

{Amore POV}

Hey Queen, it’s me again. I’d like to think you’re listening to all of us and paying attention to each of us, but I know it’s just my mind searching for something to lean on, something to depend on. I’ve questioned my life purpose almost every single day since Vito got injured. Am I really meant to be a protector? Or did I just impose that role on myself to give me a sense of purpose…

How am I supposed to be a protector when I passed out at the sight of just a creature a few tiers ahead of me. The fact that my other siblings, except Crete of course, also passed out due to the pressure the apex predator radiated did nothing to improve my mood. Imagine, what kind of protector passes out at the first sign of danger. I was a disgrace, I felt as if my purpose was sullied just by being attached to my existence. But most of all I felt helpless.

Crete would have been a much better protector than I was, but I knew his purpose was even greater than that. He was meant to be the spearhead of our progression. To always be leading and pioneering through unknown dangers, and I was supposed to be the shield. Always making sure that what he left behind to go delving into the unknown was safe. But what kind of shield passes out and leaves what they're supposed to protect defense-less.

The little bit of power I had accrued so far had obviously gone to my head without me realizing it. I needed to figure out what kind of shield I would be, not just to accomplish my self-imposed goals but to ensure my brothers and sisters had someone to depend on. For although Crete was a good standard of measuring ourselves, he wasn’t much of a role model. Not because he didn’t have good morals or because he hadn’t accomplished anything exemplary, however.

In fact, it was because he had accomplished so much that he couldn’t be a good role model, at this time at least. His existence exerted a subconscious pressure on all of us, for we all came from the same place, we started relatively at the same time, but he had gotten so far ahead of us. Even the minuscule amount of strength we had was due to him… So it just felt more appropriate to us to use him as a measure rather than live in the shadow he cast. But I digress, and as we still followed the general I continued contemplating the type of shield I wanted to be.

{Crete POV}

Even a long while after the run-in with the apex predator I could still tell everyone was shaken up, well everyone except Rock. I remember how we stayed still for a long period of time even after the Elder Shrew had walked back into the swamp. Well, I thought everyone was staying still. But to my surprise, it turns out that the pressure the creature exerted when it attacked had caused everyone, other than Rock and me to pass out.

To say the least, I was shaken up. The existence of such creatures seemed unreal to me. How could one being possess so much strength? It made no sense, but I wanted it. I needed it, not to be able to control others' life though, I craved it to only be in control of mine. My mind had already simulated the frog’s situation and replacing it with myself I visualized no other outcome but death. No matter what I did, whether it be to rush towards it, or try to flee to the trees closer by. I still ended up with a tail through my head.

Rock still spoke with the same enthusiasm recalling his “war” stories, but I couldn’t process anything right now. It just then occurred to me that he had gone to fight one of those things and survived.

“How did you survive a monster like that Rock…?” my words broke his train of thought and ended his rambling. I felt his eyes linger on me for a while before nodding.

“I didn’t “survive”, as a matter of fact, it was more of being spared. I imagine if the monster hadn’t had enough termite for one night or felt like I was worth the effort of being chased down, I wouldn’t be here today. What you saw today was an example of how power twists you. Do you think by killing creatures on our evolutionary level those beings receive any experience? Do you think that we could sate their hunger or provide them sustenance?” he stopped for a moment to let his words sink in.

“No, we probably couldn’t even fill in the gaps of their teeth. They kill creatures like us solely out of amusement or boredom. Remember this young termites: Absolute power corrupts absolutely. They have no predators, nothing, and nobody to fear. Furthermore, most creatures who make it to that level have numerous encounters with death and years of experience, so their personality gets twisted along the way…”

After taking in the gravity of those words, we walked to the next destination with a heavier atmosphere among us. Our journey continued uphill for a while before we came upon a pass between the range of mountains enclosing the region.

“This place is probably the most dangerous area to be assigned to. In the case of an enemy assault, this is where they would have to enter the valley. We lose the most termites to their relentless attacks year-round. If yer ever unfortunate to come across the mindless creatures by yourself, I advise you to run. Because although individually they’re weaker than us termites, their numbers far surpass ours.”

The mountain path was deathly silent at the moment, and I could see the ever-present sparse amount of our brethren patrolling. Unfortunately, there was no sign of this mysterious enemy. I was quite interested in seeing the creatures that would warrant such a cautious approach from not only Rock but the Queen as well. But that would have to wait for another time as the general just made a quick stop at the pass before leading us towards what he said would be the final area we could be assigned to.

While we were walking however I reviewed all the places we’ve been to so far and made something of a mental map of the area. The mound was closer to the north of the valley and Fall’s Edge was directly east of it. The “Steam Mine Fields” was further to the south of the valley and the swampy area was just northeast of them. The Mountain pass we just left was southwest of the mound, only about a few kilometers away.

Right now we were walking through vegetation and heading directly East, to what I imagined would be the center of the valley. We journeyed for a few kilometers further before the trees had started thinning out, and a few hundred meters further they had stopped growing completely. Now all that was present in my view was a wide stretch of plains. The grass grew tall, almost reaching the underside of my carapace and I imagined they were home to a plethora of small wildlife.

What was the most eye-catching thing in the plains, however, literally stood out, standing what I estimated was about 80 meters tall and at least 10 meters in diameter. The gigantic tree was the highlight of the entire scene, and I understood the reason why the trees eventually stopped growing. They were in the presence of royalty; royalty that monopolized all the nearby nutrients for its own use.

The branches of the gargantuan tree were as thick as the ordinary ones we had passed on the way over here. The color of its trunk was a mixture of dirt brown and ash grey, and its bark appeared to be cracked and serrated. There appeared to be movement occurring on it, but I was unable to discern what exactly was moving from this distance. So reigning in my amazement at the wonders of the outside world I moved to follow Rock who had only stopped for a moment to admire the scene, my siblings following behind me.

“It’s amazing, isn’t it? The gargantuan you see before you is what we termites refer to as the ‘Mother Tree’ The Queen says it was here before even she arrived in the valley, albeit a size smaller. This is the main source of our food at the moment. Every other area’s production pales in comparison to the harvest we collect daily from this tree”

We had made our way closer to the tree as his words neared their end and it looked even more magnificent up close. I was also able to figure out what the movement I could make out was. A few hundred termites were making their way along the trunk of the tree chomping away at the bark of the tree. “Isn’t that going to kill it though?” I expressed my confusion at the workers’ actions to Rock.

“No, it won’t. On the contrary, what we’re doing isn’t eating away at the tree. Do you all see the way its bark looks protruding and cracked?” I once more examined the tree at his words and looking more closely I observed its bark. It indeed did look like the bark was protruding… almost as if it was swollen.

“Look at that worker there, it’s about to show you the reason why we’re not just leeching away the tree's life but helping it instead.” I moved my eyes over to the worker he singled out and just as he mentioned, it looked like the hole it was eating into the bark was almost finished. But once it was a few inches wide, it did something that was quite weird. I watched as the worker positioned its mandibles into the hole and moved them almost as if it was trying to pick something out of it. A moment later, however, what greeted my eyes between the worker's mandibles was a squirming creature that appeared to be a larva of sorts.

“That’s a weevil larva. The pesky things live among the grasses of this plain in uncountable numbers around this time of year. They come around to mate and lay eggs inside the tree after hollowing it out. And we help the tree out by getting rid of the larvae that would probably kill it while getting some juicy treats and tasty wood in the process. It’s a win-win.” I was once more amazed by the diversity of life outside of the chamber. Everything seemed to be connected in some intricate way and it was all so fascinating to me.

“It’s not completely safe here however, we usually have to abandon the tree towards the end of spring due to its ‘natural inhabitants’ returning. But the weevils disperse as well because their natural predators have returned. Us termites on the ground might not be able to see them among the grass, but I imagine hunting them from the air is quite easy.” I could feel that he was reluctant to discuss what exactly these natural inhabitants were, so I didn’t force the issue this time.

“Well this brings me to the end of our tour around the safe areas within our territory, now I’ll talk to you about the stay-away- death is inevitable areas. So first off, don’t try to go exploring into the mountains by yourself, that’s a surefire way to become just another number. Secondly, don’t try and venture to the other side of the pass either. Try to avoid provoking the death-seeking creatures that overpopulate the other side as much as possible. And finally, do not- do not, and I repeat, DO NOT explore the inside of the volcano in the steam minefields.”

We all silently burned the information into our minds because none of us desired to be another addition to the annual death rate. But I couldn’t get my mind of the recent encounter, so I asked the general “What about the apex predators?”

“Hmm well there are only two you really need to worry about, you’ve met the first one, the dastardly Elder Shrew. The other one is a bit more dangerous however, there is no tell-tale sign of its approach as it moves in silence. But just let it be known, if any of you hear a hissing sound, it’s probably already too late to run. So just pray to the Queen that you’re never in that situation. The rest of them usually stay in their own territories in the mountains, it’s just those two demented ones that wander around.”

The ominous but vague words that Rock spoke of concerning the other predators worried me. But he didn’t give me a chance to question him as he quickly followed up his words saying “Now that brings an end to the tour. The Queen also said she wanted to have another word with you all before you start helping out the colony, so we’ll be heading back now” another with meeting with the Queen was also imminent and I wonder what she would have to say this time.

{Althaia POV}

While we were making our way back to the mound, I was deep in self-reflection. I was earnestly thinking about the future endeavors the 8 of us would take on and I was busy trying to see how I would fit in. To be very honest, I knew I didn’t. All of my brothers and sisters seemed to be good at something; Crete, Amore, Vito, Meneo, Amara, and Dynamis were all good fighters, even my younger sister Aretha was more inclined to combat than I was. She just had to get rid of that soft personality of hers and she’d be the perfect assassin.

However, I was not blessed with any future in fighting like my other family members as my primary stats were vitality and endurance-focused. And unlike my other younger sister Amara, I didn’t even have a particularly good sense for combat either. I was just able to replicate the success of my other siblings in my battle with the beetle through continuous observation. I was beginning to feel particularly useless…

Even though it wasn’t that evident yet, I could feel that all my other siblings had at least a general direction they were trying to advance towards. Crete… well Crete was probably on the path to becoming a one-man army. Dynamis was more of a forefront damage dealer, and he was the second most reliable sibling, in my opinion. He just had this solid feeling about him, and he never judged Meneo even when he almost got him killed.

Amore was obviously going down the route of a protector. Vito seemed more like a teacher than anything else. Meneo was something of a relentless force, and it felt like he would grow to become a termite that would weather the storm to allow the rest of us a moment of respite. Amara was definitely walking the road of a battle maniac, and my Aretha was something of a tranquil power. Unless you tried focusing on her presence it was almost undetectable.

What other position did our group dynamic call for? I was thinking long and hard before I got an answer in the form of memories. I recalled all the time that Vito was nearly killed because of a beetle and the feeling of panic and helplessness that everyone had at the time. If it weren’t for Crete’s quick thinking and timely intervention, we probably would have lost him then. I also recalled how injured Dynamis was, and the fact that he had to depend on passive regeneration to recover. And finally, I recalled Meneo’s near-death experience, and once more if it weren’t for my eldest brother, he most likely would have died…

But could we always rely on Crete? What if he didn’t have any ideas or he wasn’t present to save the day. I couldn’t bear to lose one of my siblings, so I felt the need to be the termite to ensure that wouldn’t happen. I could be the one that would make sure my other brothers and sisters didn’t have to worry about one of us passing away as a result of a fight. I needed to be a healer. But I had no idea where to start…

No, I remembered how Crete saved Meneo. If only I could do that, I would have the power to preserve their lives at the very least. So at that very moment, I resolved myself to implore my brother to teach me his ways. I needed that ability to save a life with seemingly meaningless items in my surroundings. No matter what it took I needed to get that ability but after this meeting with the Queen of course. I would finally be able to take the first steps towards becoming the termite I wanted- no needed to be.