Just like last time, stepping through the portal gave me a sense of disorientation as my proximity to Indella suddenly changed. Even though I had braced myself this time, that sudden shock was still highly unpleasant. Wonder if Indella was handling it. Huh, clever. As the disorientation passed, I refocused on my surroundings. I started moving again to not hold up traffic too much. Not that I had hindered too much, since the others could simply walk underneath me.

I started moving again and headed towards the center of the area. The glade had become far more busy with all the people coming and going through the portal, so there was quite a crowd around. Duergar who were peddling with the spirits that lived in Yrsha’s dungeon. A trio of Kobolds were haggling over some tools I didn’t recognize. And Tarad and Dally were in a heated debate with a duo of Spirits and a Duergar over the proper temperature to forge swords at. Overall, the place seemed way more lively than it had the last time.

As I wandered around trying to get my bearings, I spotted a familiar sight. Xi was sitting on a small stump contemplating a game board. The little spirit was so focused on the board it didn’t even notice I was there until my shadow fell over the board itself. Xi looked up at me with a surprised expression. “Oh, Lady Pearl! What a pleasant surprise, how can Xi help you?” The spirit looked up at me, then down at the table, then up at me again. Xi was trying to resist the pull of entertainment in the face of being an excellent host. That much was clear. “Oh, no need to leave your game behind on my account. I wondered if you knew where Yrsha might be and if she is busy right now.”

Xi looked thoughtful for a moment. “Milady should have her tea break right about now, so she should be in the tea saloon you visited the last time you were here. Xi can show you the way.” Xi moved to pack away the board, clearly intending to show me the way. I could sense the disappointment emanating from the spirit. “I see, thank you for the information, Xi. Though there is no need to get up for something like this, I know the way. So just enjoy your game, I would feel bad to pull you away from your free time, after all.” Xi looked up at me, then down at the board, then at me again. Xi was clearly being torn between duty and entertainment. Then, after a few seconds of internal struggle, Xi had clearly chosen to go with what I wanted. Xi looked up at me, sat back down and while nodding enthusiastically, the spirits’ tails now wagging up a storm. “Xi will do that, Lady Pearl, have a nice day!” Xi waved enthusiastically as I left, before the spirit once more returned to contemplating the game board.

As I arrived, I found Yrsha outside, clearly waiting for me. “Pearl, welcome, I hope the crowded clearing wasn’t so bad.” Yrsha got up from where she was sitting on the porch of the house and gave me a light bow, a cup of tea in hand before she continued. “I would offer you a cup, but we both know you wouldn’t accept.” I couldn’t really disagree with that. While I normally would have, there was no time to waste right now. Every second of preparation I could muster was important, and Yrsha knew that. I didn’t doubt that the only reason Yrsha was drinking tea right now was because she needed to calm down or the stress would get to her. “Indeed, I apologize for my lack of courtesy, but you know how it is these days.” Yrsha looked at her teacup with a solemn expression, then looked up at me. “That I do, far more than I would like to admit, so let’s get this over with, so we can both get back to preparing. Shall we?” Her voice was tense, but her expression softened a bit as she spoke.

I couldn’t agree more. “Latra suggested I ask you about where to get a hold of some Crystals of Creation.” There was no point to beat around the bush. Yrsha looked at me for a while in silence. “What are you planning to do with such a crystal?” I explained it as it was. “So Talka can use such a crystal to get a unique subspecies she claims can help against the void.” Yrsha looked down into her teacup for a few seconds, then took a deep breath and downed the entire thing. “Follow me and speak to no one of what I am about to show you.” There was an edge in Yrsha’s voice I had not heard before, but I had to reason to refuse.

We left the glade along one of the many paths, this one leading into a forested section of birch trees. The sun was shining overhead and a slight breeze caused the leaves to rustle. It was quite a calming and serene experience, if you liked that sort of thing. Then Yrsha suddenly turned away from the path and headed into the woods themselves. Fair enough, whatever she wanted to show me was clearly a well-guarded secret, so it was not like it would be obvious that it was there. We continued walking for the better part of half an hour. We didn’t speak a word during this time, both of us were content to remain quiet. Then the forest thinned, and we arrived at a rather beautiful flower field. Lilies, tulips, many beautiful and vibrant flowers grew all over the place, creating a cascade of vibrant colors. The center of the field was a large hill that seemed out of place. Not only did it lack flowers, but had silvery crystals growing from its peak. It seemed off, in more ways than one. Yrsha stopped at the edge of the flower field. “The rest is up to you Pearl, good luck.” I looked at the flowers, then at the hill, then finally at Yrsha. “Fair enough, I will be back shortly then.” I took to the skies and flew above the flowers.

Seeing the field from above proved my suspicion. Among the pretty flowers were countless skeletons, hidden from sight by the vibrant flowers that surely were not what they seemed. Good thing I had read so many comics after becoming a shut-in. I landed at the foot of the giant hill and studied it for a moment. Then I went with my gut feeling. “Excuse me, sorry to bother you, but I wondered if I could have a moment of your time.” I hadn’t checked with my telepathy, but if I were correct, this was no hill, but a disguised Leviathan. If I were right, then checking telepathically would just be rude, besides this was Yrsha’s dungeon. She might be my Sister, but she was also a fox spirit. That meant things were never what they seemed.

Sure enough, no sooner had I spoken, before the ground rocked as the Leviathan moved for the first time in what had to be a very long time. I had expected the hill to rise from the ground. What I did not expect was for half the field to heave and move with the awakening Leviathan. What I had thought might be a turtle shell or something turned out to only be the tip of a rounded horn that grew from the Leviathans head. So, Yrsha had an ancient Leviathan in her dungeon as well. I honestly was not sure what type of Leviathan I was looking at. It was tempting to ask Archives, but I wanted to handle this myself for once. I could not rely on Archives to always have the solutions forever, nor all the information.

As the dust and dirt whirled up from the awakening Leviathan settled, I could finally get a good look at it. It was like a giant lizard in overall shape, with a long wide tail and the hill sized horn growing from the center of its head. Its scales were earth brown and had a spiky look to them, most likely as a form of self defense. The 4 pair of eyes it possessed was all the color of Amber and slitted, as one would expect. The Leviathan also had a pair of tongues flicking out of its mouth in a constant movement as it scented the surrounding air. Its ten legs were holding up its massive frame with ease and its crocodilian head had several man-sized fangs visible, even when closed. From its back grew several of the flowers I had seen behind me. I realized I had landed literally on the tip of its tail.

I took to the sky again and hovered in front of it at eye level. “I am terribly sorry for landing on your tail like that.” The leviathan gazed at me with a cold and calculating expression. Then its mind reached out to mine. It was practically the opposite of Latra. Where her mind lulled you into a sense of serenity and comfort, this Leviathan evoked feelings of agitation and discomfort. I steeled myself and didn’t back down as I locked my gaze with it. The Leviathans gaze shifted from cold indifference to one of interest. “You are not the first Leviathan I have talked to, Brother.” I said calmly, as I sent out a mental image of my five Brothers.

This finally got a response from it. “So, you're Mother's little pet project. If you are hoping that I will treat you as a member of the family that easily you might as well think again.” Its voice was pure pain. Where Latra’s had given a sense of peace and my Brothers were slightly painful and made you feel like your skin was crawling, this one was just pure pain. Pain and anger, a fierce one indeed. Well then, time to see if I could wrangle something useful from this situation. “Frankly, no, I didn’t expect special treatment from you, after all this is the first time we've met. Besides, you are not part of my dungeon, so why would you have any reason to show me any deference?” The Leviathan actually blinked in surprise. I guess it hadn’t expected such a response.

It moved so close its snout was nearly touching me. “If that is true, then why did you disturb me in the first place?” The voice was less painful this time. Instead of feeling like being poked with a searing hot iron, it was now just barbed wires. Well, the less time I spent talking with this one the better, it clearly didn’t like me, and I sure as hell didn’t like it. “I need a crystal from the cluster that’s growing on your horn.” The faster I got to the point, the better. The Leviathan seemed amused. “And why should I give it to you?” Ugh, one of these types, eh? Fine.

“First, because it would make me stop bothering you faster. Second, I really need it due to Void related problems, problems that will also hit this dungeon as well, in time. Of that, I am certain. Besides, would you like it if I returned to Latra and told her that the reason I didn’t get a crystal was because you were being an asshole?” This was obviously a serious a risky claim as technically Latra had pointed me towards Yrsha. But given how my Brothers behaved around Latra, it was obvious they respected her highly, which meant she might hold a lot of clout among her kind. Considering my Brothers treated everyone else with disdain. Hell, even I was only slightly worthy of respect, given their attitudes, and I was their Sister as well. Obviously, it was a gamble, and I silently hoped Latra wouldn’t mind that I name-dropped her like this. But I honestly had no other idea on how to get this guy to cooperate.

The Leviathan’s eyes flared in anger at my words, but it didn’t strike. I did not know how the pecking order among ancient horrors and Leviathans worked, but name-dropping Latra had obviously given the Leviathan something to think about. That much was clear. “Latra, you have met her, you say?” Its voice was even less painful now. Now it was just a slightly too warm oven. I nodded slowly, now I was curious. “She currently lives on the fourth floor of my dungeon, why do you ask?” The Leviathan looked at me again, this time with no hostility, and far more wonder.

“To think Mother would ask our Eldest to look after you. You who are not even a true Monster. I cannot fathom what Mother is thinking.” It went silent. Then lowered its head. “Take it, Sister, and tell Latra that Rinnojj was more than happy to come to your aid.” I hovered over and found a decently sized crystal and broke it loose with a single snap. I looked down at him. “Don’t worry, Brother, I will pass along your words.” Sure, he had been standoffish, but it was not like I couldn’t understand why. So, I would pass along the message, along with an explanation, I owed her that much at least.

As I flew back towards Yrsha, I couldn’t help but wonder. If Latra was the eldest, why wasn’t Mother using her as her Avatar? No wait, the answer was simple, really simple. Latra was not a fighter, and an Avatar would decidedly have to do some violent things should the need arise. Mother was not the type to force the kindest and most peace-loving being I could think of into doing violent things like that. That opened up another question though, why didn’t Latra have any crystals? I looked at the crystal in my hand, pondering the entire situation. That’s when I remembered seeing something similar to this. One of my Brothers had gotten a wound on its arm after the scuffle with one of the summoned demons and the blood had… oh.

I looked at the crystal once more, this time I couldn’t help but shudder. Leviathan blood was the stuff of creation itself? What the hell was Mother thinking, no wait, that actually made sense. Leviathans and most horrors were just too large. The law of physics would say that they should collapse under their own weight. Unless something kept that from happening, like say the very stuff of creation itself. That was, of course, if the flavor text of the crystal was more than just legend or rumors. Regardless of the truth of the rumors, this stuff was potent as I could sense a hum of power from the crystal in my paw. Behind me, Rinnojj buried back into its old position and soon enough the field was back to its pristine look.

As I landed next to Yrsha, I was still contemplating the crystal. I was so distracted that I didn’t notice Yrsha walking up next to me until she spoke. “So you got one, impressive. I honestly didn’t expect him to give one up like that.” I shook out or my thoughts and stashed the crystal into my inventory before I responded. “Turns out name-dropping Latra did the trick, though I would not try that if I were you. If you want one, I can get you one later once this thing takes root and grows on its own.” Yrsha nodded. “It makes sense that using her name would give results.” I looked at her with a questioning expression, urging her to continue. “Latra is the oldest Horror and Leviathan in existence. The amount of respect she garners from her younger siblings is something she earned through hard work. I don’t know the details of what she did, but I don’t know of a single Horror or Leviathan that would want to disappoint Latra. Heck, some rumors claim Latra might be the first monster ever born.”

The last statement gave me pause. “Wouldn’t that mean that she would be more akin to a deity than a monster?” My question seemed to catch Yrsha off-guard. Her expression turned into one of uncertainty. “Now that you mention it that might actually be the case. But if so, that would mean you have a physically manifested Deity living in your dungeon. That would be unheard of. No Deity have physically manifested without an avatar since the Void War.” Hmm, I knew one being who might know the answer.

I nodded slowly. “According to Archives, Latra is mortal.” Yrsha looked at me, then just sighed before she began leading the way back. “It doesn’t really matter at any rate, and I guess I will take you up on the offer. Those crystals could be useful for me as well, after all.” I nodded absentmindedly. “By the way, Yrsha, when did Rinnojj arrive in your dungeon, I mean if he was here…” Yrsha held up a hand and I stopped talking. “He arrived shortly after my return and simply went to that spot and told me to tell him if I needed help. Aside from that one interaction we have not spoken or communicated in any fashion.” After that, she fell silent, and we conducted the return in silence as well. When we returned to the clearing, I thanked Yrsha and hurried towards the portal. I was eager to see what this thing could do.

As I returned to the 3rd floor, I saw the first totem being put up in the square. It was an interesting little thing, and I could easily identify a Draconic face on the bottom, an Evil Eye above it, followed by a Strider. On top of the totem pole was one that seemed human at first glance, but I quickly realized was not. The dead giveaway was an offhand comment from a Duergar pointing out, “It does indeed look like the Mistress.” The Kobolds seemed quite pleased with their work as well and beamed enthusiastically to any words of praise for their work. I had to hand it to them. They worked fast. As they noticed me, the Kobolds eagerly ran over and clearly hoped for my approval.

I looked down on them all, Ssaldu was standing at the front looking both eager and nervous. I looked once more at the totem. Archives? That was an understatement. The totem was beyond my expectations. And it had a longer range than the mushroom ones too, by almost 6 meters. “Impressive work, you have gone far beyond my expectations on this one, keep it up.” I smiled down at them as I spoke. It was truly impressive how effective they all were. How other Dungeons could treat them as cannon fodder was beyond me. These guys were some of the best and most skilled workers I had ever seen. I had barely stepped out of the dungeon for an hour, and they had already finished turning one of the unprocessed logs into a perfect totem pole.

Honestly, considering how diligently and effectively, they were working, they deserved some kind of reward. I would have to remember to look that up later. My words of praise seemed to make do for now, at least. As the Kobolds seemed utterly ecstatic. I offered them a few more compliments before I excused myself. It was time to see what Talka could do with that crystal.

As I arrived at the hive, I took out the crystal, and got an eager chittering from Talka. Then, I flew up into the roof and, as per Archive's instructions, just slammed the thing into the stone with all my might. The effect was immediate. Silver veins spread out from the point where the crystal had embedded itself. They arched like water on a dry surface or cracks in dry earth until the entire inside had streaks of silver running through it. . Now this I had to see. Before I could pop up the menu, however, Talka suddenly shuddered and gave off a strange silvery glow.

In front of my eyes she changed and grow in stature, her carapace growing jagged and spiky. As she grew and changed, the part of Talka’s bloated body that until now had caused her to be only partially mobile inside the hive, shriveled up. And in its place was a long sinuous tail with a large stinger at the end. Her legs bulked up and gained more strength as she grew far wider and taller than before. The color of her carapace changed, and it now sported lines in it that glowed steadily, like a heartbeat. These lines would start out black as ink, but would flash up to a sky blue before darkening again, giving her an eerie look. Likewise, wisps with much the same coloration as these lines were steadily rising from her back, as if her body couldn’t completely contain her new power. There was little doubt in my mind that Talka in her current form would be a terrifying opponent to fight. A considerable change was the addition of a pair of crablike arms, allowing her to grasp and crush things with ease. One was like the crushing claw of a crab. While the other was more like a pair of giant curved scissors, clearly meant to cleave whatever it held in two. I pitied whatever wound up inside those claws. Talka’s head had also undergone a drastic change. Her compound eyes, which had been on each side of her head, had now migrated to be squarely in front. They had also changed color from dull red to have the same pulsing blue color. Her mandibles had become beak like and split in three as she chittered. I could see that inside the beak-like mandible were some really nasty looking teeth-like growths. I pitied whatever wound up inside her mouth. Her backside had changed too. Eggs got pushed out of newly developed holes in the carapace on her back. Shortly after, they fell off and rapidly hatched into new striders on the spot.

However, these newborn Striders differed from before. Though their body structure remained roughly the same as before, they had an eerie vapor like aura coming off them. Likewise, their thoraxes glowed with this bluish-black light, completely black in the center, and became steadily brighter as it got further out, until it was nearly white. Their wings had seen some radical changes as they now seemed more moth-like. They also glowed in strange intricate patterns that seemed to captivate the gaze if you looked too long at them. These new striders were also larger than even the old Royal Guards. Then, as one, there was a wave of agitated chittering going through the hivemind as every Strider and Swarmling in view glowed a similar way to Talka earlier. All of them were undergoing evolution. The sheer psionic cacophony of the place was giving me a headache as it all happened, not to mention that the light given off was absolutely blinding.

When it was over, the Striders had all changed to resemble the ones Talka had spontaneously given birth too, though smaller, as they had not grown as big. The Swarmlings too had grown bigger, where they before had been the size of dogs, they were now the size of lions. With razor sharp mandibles, their own scorpion like tail sporting a nasty scythe like stinger. Said stingers would now and then drip a liquid that looked a lot like the aura coming off of the larger Striders and Talka. A venom, no doubt. The most significant change, however, was the addition of a pair of grasping claws that resembled those of a crab growing from their backs. As I watched them experiment with these new appendages, I could see they were strong, nimble and had a long reach as well.

That only left one question, what the hell was I looking at? .

Monster: Spectral Strider Queen (Unique, Boss, Variant, Mutated)

Genus: Insectoid, Horror, Spirit

Biome: Special, usually The Depths.

Unlock cost: Special: Need a Crystal of Creation from a Spectral aligned Leviathan placed inside a Strider hive.

HP: 300, MP: 150

Attack: 250, Defense: 200

Magic Attack: 150, Magic Defense: 200

Strength: 25, Dexterity: 20, Endurance: 30

Intelligence: 15, Wisdom: 20, Charisma: 15

Upkeep: Special, if a Crystal of Creation is inside the hive, all Spectral Strider Queens cost -

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Mirror Carapace(Racial), Lethal Soul Poison Blood(Racial). Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Apex Predator(Racial), Lethal Soul Poison Attack(Racial). Untameable(Racial), Scything Talon and Crushing Talon(Racial), Royal Pheromones(Racial), Spectral Strider Spawning(Unique Racial). Spectral Swarmling Spawning(Unique Racial), Spectral Strider Royal Guard(Unique Racial)(10). Attack Pheromones(Unique), Soul Searing Spittle(Unique), Spectral Strider Hive Cocoon(Unique Racial), Spectral Strider Hive Infestation(Unique Racial). Hive Reinforcements(Unique Racial), Aura of Fear(Special), Seal Intruders(Boss), Spectral Jaunt(Unique). Void Hunter(Special), Levitation(Special), Spectral Form(Special), Free Mobility(Special).

Now that I thought about it, I hadn’t checked their stats since I had gotten free from the curse. So, I had no real reference to go by. . I knew that the crystal would be potent, but I never expected this. I mean, they were a literally new species rather than just a variant. Now, what about the rest of the hive?

Monster: Spectral Strider (Unique, Variant, Mutated)

Genus: Insectoid, Horror, Spirit

Biome: Special Usually The Depths.

Unlock cost: Special: Need a Crystal of Creation from a Spectral aligned Leviathan placed inside a Strider hive.

HP: 200, MP: 150

Attack: 150, Defense: 250

Magic Attack: 150, Magic Defense: 200

Strength: 15, Dexterity: 25, Endurance: 20

Intelligence: 15, Wisdom: 20, Charisma: 15

Upkeep: Special, if a Crystal of Creation is inside the hive, all Spectral Striders cost -

Skills: Spectral Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Ambush Tactics(Racial). Mirror Carapace(Racial), Soul Poison Blood(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Apex Predator(Racial), Soul Poison Attack(Racial). Untameable(Racial), Communal Mind(Racial), Spectral Jaunt(Unique), Void Hunter(Special). Levitation(Special), Spectral Form(Special), Free Mobility(Special), Mesmerizing Wings(Unique Special).

Monster: Spectral Swarmling (Unique, Variant, Mutated)

Genus: Insectoid, Horror, Spirit

Biome: Special, usually The Depths.

Unlock cost: Special: Need a Crystal of Creation from a Spectral aligned Leviathan placed inside a Strider hive.

HP: 150, MP: 150

Attack: 150, Defense: 350

Magic Attack: 150, Magic Defense: 200

Strength: 10, Dexterity: 35, Endurance: 15

Intelligence: 15, Wisdom: 20, Charisma: 15

Upkeep: Special, if a Crystal of Creation is inside the hive, all Spectral Swarmlings cost -

Skills: Strider Hivemind(Racial), Wall Walk(Racial), Darkvision(Racial), Pack Hunter(Racial), Ambush Tactics(Racial). Soul Poison Blood(Racial), Scything Talons(Racial), Camouflage(Racial), Fearless(Racial), Soul Poison Attack(Racial). Untameable(Racial) Swarm(Racial), Crushing Talons(Special), Communal Mind(Racial) Spectral Jaunt(Unique). Void Hunter(Special), Levitation(Special), Spectral Form(Special), Free Mobility(Special), Mesmerizing Wings(Unique Special).

Ok, so they all had these weird new abilities, what were they all about? Archives immediately popped in with an explanation for each, much to my delight.

Spectral Form(Special) means they can go Ethereal and walk through walls floors ETC.

Levitation(Special) is self-explanatory, they don’t need those pretty wings to fly even though they all have them now, except the Queen.

Mesmerizing Wings(Unique Special) unless you have a strong will or are immune to that sort of thing you will suddenly find those wings irresistibly fascinating to look at.

Void Hunter(Special) they deal far more damage to Void attribute targets and are immune to most Void type skills.

Spectral Jaunt(Unique) This one’s a fantastic one, Boss Lady, it’s a teleport/blink skill, 30-meter range, line of sight not needed, cannot mishap

Communal Mind(Racial) means that they are a hivemind, but they can operate independently and think for themselves if the need should arise. As a side effect, all of them had the strongest mental stat among them. Which means all of them share the Queen's mental stats>.

This all sounded almost too good to be true. But then, considering how difficult it would be to get your hands on these guys, I could see how the reward would be worth it. I refocused on Talka, who had finished testing out her new body and was now patiently looking at me. “So, how is your new form?” Talka chittered with delight as she walked over to me, size wise we were almost equally big now, with me being only a few inches taller. “This is far better than I could have hoped for, Milady. My Hive will not let a single void entity leave this floor alive when they arrive. That, I assure you.” She clacked her new claws eagerly, a motion that was repeated by the Swarmlings. I smiled at the noise and waited for them all to finish.

Once the noise died down, I couldn’t help but admire the sight for a few more seconds. “Good, your happiness is mine as well. However, while I would love to stay and celebrate this with you all, I am afraid I still have more work to do.” Talka chittered incomprehensively for a few moments. It was simply too fast to understand. But she finally nodded in understanding. “We will begin patrolling the floor immediately, take care, Milady and once more, thank you for your gift.” As I turned to leave, I replied, “It was my pleasure.” Now all I had to do was to report to Latra and fulfill my promise to Rinnojj.