[Crinis… what the hell happened here?]

[Master!]

A wave of black shadow-stuff peels off the walls of the evolution chamber and rushes towards me. I flinch back, but it’s too late, and in moments I’m once again wrapped up by the overly attached murder-ball.

[Gah! At least get off of my eyes, I can’t see a damned thing.]

A few seconds later she’s adapted herself a little better to fit on my carapace, covering even the little purple glow that I still retain. It’s been a harsh blow, losing my glorious lustre, but I’ll definitely get it back via mutations! That’s how I got it in the first place after all.

As I lament my lack of shininess, Crinis shrieks endlessly in my mind.

[Master! Are you well? Are you hurt? I think I can feel a scratch on your carapace. WHO DID IT?! Tell me, and I will rend them into pieces and grind the remains into paste! Then I will dive into the mind of the paste and drive it insane for a thousand years! Death! Deaaaaaaaaaath!]

[Quiet down, dammit!]

For a few minutes, all I can hear from Crinis is her gasping for mental air as she continues to writhe all over my chitin, checking for injuries. I wasn’t even gone that long, for goodness sake. And look at what she did to the room….

Looking around the chamber I evolved in, there are tentacle marks smashed into every inch of it. The only time you can’t see the clear imprint of the tentacles, is where the slashing lines cut into the rock are so dense they completely cover it up. It looks like someone went nuts in here with a diamond-tipped chainsaw.

Even Tiny, trying to look nonchalant over in the corner seems a little relieved to see me return. The big ape flashes me a discreet thumbs up from the corner he’d burrowed himself into with Invidia and smiles confidently.

Oi. I can’t take you seriously while Invidia is still maintaining the shield covering you.

[Holy moly, Crinis. You need to settle down. I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you with me, but this is excessive. I’ve only been gone a little while, and I’m perfectly fine. Alright? If this ever happens in the future, I expect you to be able to control yourself.]

The shadow flesh covering me quivers in shame at my rebuke.

[Yes, Master,] she replies in a small voice. [I’m sorry, Master.]

Poor thing sounds like she might cry. My heart softens.

[Look, I’m not actually mad at you. Just keep yourself under control, alright? Think of the poor Colony members who have to fix all this damage.]

[I will. I promise.]

There, all mended. Still, I don’t really want to stay in this chamber for… any further amount of time. This place looks like the scene of a horror movie.

[Alright Tiny, Invidia, let’s head outside and work out what we’re going to do next. I need to go through my status as well.]

The two finally release the shield and emerge from their bunker. As a group, we head out of the chamber, and as we move through the tunnels, I notice that which I missed on my way in. It seems that Crinis’ rampage extended far beyond just the evolution space. Everywhere we go, there are ants smoothing out suspicious-looking grooves cut into the walls, or flattening sections that have been smashed by an elongated limb.

I don’t say anything, but I can feel an occasional quiver run through the monster attached to me.

Sigh.

I thought she was getting less reliant on me. Turns out that’s not quite the case. What’s going to happen the next time she gets separated from me, perhaps for an extended period of time?

Something to worry about another time. We’ve got things to deal with right now, and there’s little chance we get split up again, at least in the short term. If I need to get teleported back to the third stratum again, it should be another short visit at least.

The mountain is still filled with my siblings busy working at the million and one tasks required to get a nest of this size up and running. The crafters are overloaded with work, and judging by the way their antennae swing carelessly from side to side, they couldn’t be happier about it.

They better be getting enough sleep….

When we make it out to the ‘surface’ I find a comfortable spot and throw myself down on the ground. The ground shakes beneath me and a nearby carver clacks her mandibles with irritation.

“Sorry,” I say.

Gotta remember how much I weigh now. Aside from the muscle I’ve put on, my new carapace is way more dense than my old one. In fact, if I hadn’t bulked up in that evolution, I probably couldn’t walk anymore. Getting myself up the pillar in the third stratum took a little doing, let me tell you.

After settling my position, I bring up my status for a good look.

Name: Anthony

Level: 3 (Mythic) (VII)

Might: 380

Toughness: 342

Cunning: 228

Will: 195

HP: 684/684

MP: 1070/1070

Skills:

General:

Grandmaster Excavation (V) Level 6; Master Grip (IV) Level 10; Expert Stealth (III) Level 18; Tunnel Compass (IV) Level 25; Iron Mind (V) Level 22; Master Stamina (IV) Level 26; Still Meditation (IV) Level 40; Flash Dash (V) Level 16;

Mana:

Advanced Mana Craft (VI) Level 11; Condensed Mana (V) Level 9; Grand Finer External Mana Manipulation (V) Level 16; Mana Hoarder (V) Level 9; Layered Mind Magic Affinity (V) Level 41; Extended Directed Mana Sensing (V) Level 15; Master Healing Magic Affinity (IV) Level 12; Advanced Omni-Elemental Affinity (VI) Level 43; Advanced Mana Masking (IV) Level 8; Wood Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Metal Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Lightning Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Advanced Force Magic Affinity (IV) Level 22; Advanced Barrier Magic Affinity (III) Level 19; Gravity Magic Affinity (I) Level 2;

Pet:

Far-Flung Pet Communication (IV) Level 4; Core Crafting (IV) Level 18; Pet Growth Speed (I) Level 5;

Defensive:

Divine Exo-Skeleton Defence (VI) Level 12; Grandmaster Dodge (V) Level 8; Grandmaster Endure (V) Level 5; Master Grace (IV) Level 6; Expert Mandible Parry (III) Level 4;

Offensive:

Guided Acid Shot (V) Level 8; Grandmaster Precise Shooting (V) Level 11; Void Chomp (VI) Level 14; Expert Chomp Combo (III) Level 6; Spear Charge (III) Level 5;

Mutations:

Senses:

Focal Compound Eyes +30; Future Wave Sight Antennae +30 (Twilight Filament);

Defence:

Carapace (Gravity-Compressed Diamond); Inner Carapace Plating (Boson Agitating Crystal Flesh);

Physical:

Fortified Absorption Legs +30; Mandibles (Gravity-Compressed Diamond); Hastened Potent Regeneration Gland +30; Widespread Stinking Pheromone Gland +30; Expanding Discerning Stomach +30; Coiling Hyper-Twitch Musculature +30; Distributed Instantaneous Sub-Neural Network +30;

Acid:

Spreading Binding Mana-Feasting Bind Acid Gland +30; Flexi Hyper Pressurised Scattershot Acid Nozzle +30; Enriching Draining Acid Concentration Gland +30; Viscous Enfeebling Acid Stimulation Gland +30;

Mental:

Indomitable Coordination Cortex +30; Crushing Gravity Well Main Brain +30; Mind Mana Mastery Sub-Brain +30; Mind Mana Mastery Sub-Brain +30; Mind Mana Mastery Sub-Brain +30;

Mana:

Gravity Magic Gland (Resonant Well Stone); Might Infusing Collective Will Vestibule +30 (Soul Crystal); Communal Spirit Nave (Soul Crystal); Altar of Self (Soul Crystal);

Species: Perfect Paragon

Skill points: 145

Biomass: 820

So much to be proud of, such immense progress. But the crowning jewel of it all is sitting right there in my Skills list. Of course, I checked for it the second I woke up and, lo and behold, it appeared!

Gravity Magic is finally MINE!