An unwelcome command from the Noble filled Hunter's mind. Run home. Defend home. Defend me. It was terrible. Hunter's 30 legs began to move before there was even time to think. It would be better to go in a careful, stealthy way. It was not possible. The command made them run. All of Hunter's cunning and all of their careful thinking had no use now. The command of another controlled them and made them rush to danger, even though Survival Instinct screamed and they wanted desperately not to go.

Home was not far, but was not close either. Hunter would not ever have guessed the Noble could grab their mind from so far away. How did Noble even know they were by the water? Hunter decided that the command was probably sent to all kin who were not very far away from home. What danger would they need to fight? Probably it was a very strong monster, or very strong monsters. Hunter guessed such monsters would be huge, with at least two evolutions and many skills and body part mutations from eating much biomass. What could even very many claw centipedes do to fight such a thing? What could Hunter do? They thought as they ran. Hunter decided there were only two ways that might be good, but that until they learned what the threat was it would not help to think more.

Very soon the smell of biomass that had been kin filled the air. Hunter ran a little further and saw that all the kin of home were fighting two giant monsters, and it was going very badly. Kin died and died and died. Dozens had already become biomass. One of the two ways Hunter thought might be good was not good at all - this was not a fight where it would help to run in and sting, even with a stinger full of mana. The giant monsters were of the kind that had brown fur streaked with green, huge bodies with four thick, strong legs, huge heads carried by thick, powerful necks, strong mouths with big teeth, and large, sharp claws on the big paws of their front legs. The invaders stood side by side, with the head of each by the back of the other, so that they could fight like one enormous monster with claws and teeth on both ends. They were very large. If one died and turned to a pile of biomass, it would probably take 15 to 20 dead kin to make a pile as big. Kin swarmed and bit and clawed and stung, but did not seem able to hurt the big monsters in a way that mattered. But almost every bite of the huge heads or swing of the powerful front legs killed another one of kin. Sometimes kin could dodge a blow, but usually kin just died. Strong One was still alive because they were very, very good at dodging. Strong One was also larger; it looked like they had evolved.

Hunter wanted desperately to run away and hide. This was not a good fight. Those two monsters were not prey. Those were a way to die. Hunter did not want to die. But the Noble made them stay and fight. Hunter felt used and helpless and awful and very, very afraid. They could not do the thinking thing and run away, so they had no choice other than to fight and probably die. It was possible though to think about how to fight, and that was the only good thing left.

It was easy thinking to see that it would not help Hunter, home or the Noble to run in to the fight, sting, and become biomass. That would waste all of the ways Hunter was special and strong. Instead, they grabbed hold of their mind and forced sprinting thoughts to slow with Will. They carefully built the twisted loop pattern of a mana bolt out of thoughts. Then, slowly, Hunter pulled mana from their core and poured it into the twisted loop. They had to be careful because it was very, very important not to waste time and mana by a mistake that shattered the pattern. With every moment that passed, more kin died. That would be fine, except that if all kin died Hunter would have none left to help fight the big monsters. Then Hunter would die too. They did a very good job making the pattern out of mana, and held the bolt in their core as they aimed. Dozens more kin died in the time it took to make the bolt, and now there were more kin who had turned to biomass than kin who were still alive and fighting. The best part of those monsters to hit with a mana bolt seemed to be the face, which held a mouth and several parts for sensing.

Hunter let go of the mana bolt. The monster they aimed at reacted very fast and turned to roar at them.

This was a very dumb idea. The mana bolt went into their mouth and hit them in their insides instead of on their outside, which seemed to be quite well protected with thick fur and probably tough hide or scales. Its insides did not seem to be as tough. The large and dumb monster rocked back on its legs and fell down to the ground. It tried to get up, and almost did. It killed another kin with a paw, then another with a bite, then fell back down. It tried one more time to stand, but it was not a very good try.

Then it died and became biomass.

[You have defeated level 4 Ursus Terra Tyrannos Dirus]

[You have gained XP]

[You have reached level 5, one skill point awarded]

[You have reached the level cap, evolution menu available]

This was a good surprise. A mana bolt had killed a Juvenile Emerald Monitor in an easy way, but an Ursus Terra Tyrannos Dirus was much larger and tougher. Hunter thought that if the dumb dead monster had turned away from the bolt instead of trying to scare it with a roar that the dumb thing probably would not have been hurt much at all.

The other one got very, very angry when its kin died, and began to fight in a more fierce and powerful way. Maybe it thought Strong One was the centipede that killed its kin, because the big monster that was still alive ignored all of the other centipedes trying to hurt it and chased after Strong One in a way that was quicker than Hunter thought a monster so large could move. Strong One was very, very good at dodging and almost did again. But almost was not good enough this time, and a paw crushed three of their body segments in a blow. Strong One twitched once before the Ursus' other paw smashed its head. The big monster picked up the dead body that had been Strong One in its mouth and shook it back and forth in the air. Hunter was not sure why it did this. This did not help to fight the centipedes that were still alive. Perhaps it was a bit dumb like its kin who thought it could swallow a mana bolt.

It was a bad thing that Strong One was biomass instead of alive and fighting, but it was fine. It took some time for the Ursus to get angry, chase after Strong One, kill Strong One, then shake the body that was dead and could not fight or claw or sting. Hunter used this time in a better way, even though all of this was of course very interesting.

Spend Skill Point. Purchase Forceful Mana.

[Would you like to purchase Forceful Mana?]

Yes.

Hunter had wanted this skill for a long time. Right now, when there was a giant angry monster slaughtering claw centipedes - and Hunter was a claw centipede - they needed it, which was a stronger thing than want. This one was moving too fast to aim well at it, and it probably wouldn't try to eat a mana bolt. If the Ursus that was alive and the one that was dead had hunted and worked together to become huge and powerful, then the one who was alive must have done the thinking. The dead one was stupid, which was why it was dead. Hunter had to assume the alive one was at least a little bit smart, even if it used valuable time in a fight to shake a dead centipede instead of kill those that still lived. The point of all of these thoughts, and the reason why Hunter needed Forceful Mana, was that they only had enough mana left in their core for two more tries to make a bolt, and it was important that they make a bolt strong enough to hurt the angry Ursus even if it hit on its outside instead of its insides. Force was a thing like Might, and Hunter badly needed a mighty mana bolt.

It was a good thing that the Ursus' head, which held its parts for sensing, had pointed the wrong way to know Hunter killed its kin. If it knew that, Hunter would be dead now unless a thing they could not think of happened to save them. Strong One had been faster and better at dodging than Hunter, but when the Ursus got angry and decided to kill Strong One, Strong One died in a fast and helpless way.

As soon as Hunter purchased the Forceful Mana skill they knew important new things. These things did not help to build the twisted loop of a mana bolt, but they did help to fill it with much more than the normal amount of mana. Hunter gradually pulled all of the mana out of their core and squeezed it into the pattern of a mighty mana bolt. In the meantime the Ursus killed many kin, which was still fine but becoming a problem because there weren't all that many kin still alive.

Hunter finished building the pattern out of only mana, and did a new thing they learned from the Forceful Mana skill. They squeezed down hard on the pattern with their mind and Will until it was smaller and very dense. It felt like their insides would blow apart if they tried to hold the mighty bolt inside of them any longer.

So they didn't. They shot it at the Ursus instead.

[Forceful Mana has reached level 2]

It hit the big monster in the side, interrupting it as it tried to bite another kin into two pieces. Its big body tumbled many body lengths across the ground, and it was very slow as it tried to get back up. The kin who were still alive did a good job of being claw centipedes, and ran over to sting and claw while the Ursus was hurt and confused. Hunter was also a good claw centipede, and so they sprinted over to sting the big monster, even though a core empty of mana made them feel tired in a bad way. Because they had no mana left they could not put some in their stinger, but they did have a venom gland full of excellent venom they had made when their core held plenty of mana. They also had a very good +5 stinger and a second tier skill for stinging in Deadly Sting. The hurt and angry Ursus did not know these things about Hunter. It probably thought Hunter was just another weak hatchling. Hunter hoped it was surprised when their stinger punched right through the tough hide covering its back side and quickly pumped a whole gland full of strong venom into it.

The Ursus tried to turn around and smash Hunter with a paw, but it was hurt and full of venom, and had many other kin climbing on top of it clawing and stinging. It was easy to dodge.

[Dodge has reached level 5. Advancement available]

The big monster slowly died. Hunter was not the one to kill it. They were busy.

[You have consumed a new source of Biomass: Ursus Terra Tyrannos Dirus. One Biomass awarded]

[Basic profile unlocked: Ursus Terra Tyrannos Dirus]

[Basic profile of Ursus Terra Tyrannos Dirus: Dire Earth Bear Tyrant. This monster is known for its extreme toughness and strength. Surprisingly fast, this beast is ferocious and easily aggravated. Known for its affinity to the earth and natural environs, this monster has powerful regenerative abilities. Compared to the more common Earth Bear Tyrant, the Dire variant is slightly larger, more cunning, and resistant to elemental magic]

Hunter didn't know what elemental magic was, but decided that it must not include their mana bolt. The bears didn't resist that very well. The biomass was tasty and rich, but also not what they were looking for.

[You have gained one Biomass]

[You have gained one Biomass]

[Compatible Special monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconstitute a monster?]

That was what Hunter looked for.