RinoZ
patreon
Chapter 1551 - Skills of the Sophos
🕑 Added 2025-03-02 05:43:53 +0000 UTCThe sophos named Formo looked much the same as most of his kind. He had a large, bulbous, eyeless head that almost seemed too heavy for his wiry body, causing him to lean forward and hunch his shoulders. His long, thin arms were tipped with three-fingered, clawed hands and he wore little more than a toga made of some sort of thin cloth. Despite his small stature, likely waist high for an adult human, he had a commanding presence, and there was no denying the force of his mind that filled the room and dominated the bridge that formed between them.
[Master Formo! You’ve been down in the fifth before?] Bella gasped.
[The fifth? GODS NO! This BLASTED place is awful. Awful! I have, however, been to the fourth. Cores crafted by my people are sold in local markets and we come down to collect payment every now and again.]
[Will you be alright with the mana saturation?] Ellie wondered, only to get slapped on the head by her sister. [Wha–?] she started angrily, only to realise her mistake and gasp. [I’m so sorry, Master Formo!]
[It’s no problem, NO PROBLEM AT ALL I SAY! Indeed, the few naturally born Sophos aren’t allowed this deep in case they end up monsterised like the rest of us BY JOVE!]
Relieved that the poor monster hadn’t taken offense, Bella and Ellie were quick to invite their old teacher inside to enjoy a cup of tea and a scone.
[Such a delicious treat! You ants have come a long way!] He chortled, happily munching away and licking the cream from his fingers.
[If you don’t mind,] started Solant, who was still with them, [I believe one of our best… investigative mages… wanted to interview you about the process that turned your people into monsters. Would that be alright?]
The two core shapers froze, but Formo merely waved the question away.
[I will have to decline. It’s not something we sophos like to dwell on, and it isn’t something we understand. I myself was spawned only seventy years ago, so it isn’t like I have insight from the time of the Rending.]
[As far as we in the Colony know, yours are the only people in the history of Pangera to ever become monsters via exposure to mana,] Solant continued. [It feels like a phenomenon that should be understood.]
[There’s no point,] Formo dismissed the question again. [When my people were lost, the mana concentration in the Dungeon was BLOODY HIGH! BLOODY HIGH, I SAY! These were the years leading up to the cataclysm, the mana level hasn’t gotten even close to that height ever since. Even these latest waves are little puddles in comparison. My people lived underground, and were the first to find the Dungeon. Those sophos were exposed to absurd levels of mana for years. Who can say what that would do to a living being? At any rate, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to try and study a phenomenon you can’t reproduce. Unless you want to monsterise people?]
[I don’t, but Brilliant probably would,] Solant said.
[Well that’s a TERRIBLE IDEA! Tell that Brilliant to JOG ON and find something else to work on.]
[I will. Then, I will leave you to your work. Thank you for the tea.]
The little general made her exit and left the core shapers with their old teacher. Formo took another sip of his tea, holding the cup with two hands as he carefully brought it up to his mouth.
[Ahhhh. DELICIOUS, BY JOVE! Now, how is that Anthony fellow travelling? It’s been some time since I’ve seen him.]
[The… Eldest? The Eldest is fine,] Ellie replied, a little surprised. [Much bigger now than they were before. Tier seven these days.]
[Tier seven? That’s quite a high tier. Mythic?]
[Ah, yes.]
[Excellent. EXCELLENT, I SAY! Making a lot of progress. I would like to speak to him again if I get the chance. For now, let us examine your problem. Do you have any cores I can look at?]
[Of course we do,] Bella said, jumping from her chair to grab a core with her mandibles and bring it back to the table. [I can’t tell you how grateful we are that you’ve come to help us, Formo. This is a really difficult problem.]
[Well, now, it’s not an issue. We sophos have been talking about whether or not we should take a more active role in the Dungeon. Our place is… not overly secure. We are, after all, monsters, most of us anyway. To me and my like minded fellows, the Colony is a natural fit for us. Consider my presence here as… an outreach effort.
[Not to mention, I happen to like you CHAPS!]
[We’re… all female,] Ellie said.
[We’re all monsters here,] Formo dismissed, waving a hand, [being a splendid chap has nothing to do with reproduction, otherwise ninety percent of the sophos wouldn’t be splendid chaps, and that’s impossible.]
He pushed his cup away and reached out for the core, which was placed in his palm. There was a heavy silence for a brief moment, then Formo dropped the core and pulled back, as if repulsed.
[Holy STONES, that thing is an AWFUL BLIGHTER! BY JOVE!]
He wiped his hand on the table as Bella and Ellie rushed forward.
[Are you alright, Formo?] they cried.
[I’m fine,] he said, mind still dripping with distaste. [Faugh! The monsters down here are deplorable. Even worse, that core has been warped.]
[Warped? What do you mean?] Bella asked.
[I’m guessing that bringing it inside this… clean mana zone was what did the damage. A quarter of the information in the core is useless.]
Another significant challenge of working with the toxic monsters of the fifth. Nothing, not even their cores, were free of corruption, which meant they were damaged by the clean mana just like everything else.
[How else are we supposed to work with them?] Ellia wondered. [We were trying to work around the damage. Is that not possible.]
[No. At least, not properly. We need to examine these cores in their natural, undamaged state. TALLY HO! We seek the exterior!]
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Loulatsch
I concede my point to your wisdom 😁
daroi holtsag
@Loulatsch, basically the comment from Brandon14754 Both points
Caleb Herring
Great image, without that I was thinking that they would be a lot more spindly. Makes much more sense now about them being a subterranean species before the cataclysm
Asekhan
Or ask the Eldest for help?
Aaron Schwartz
God, I love the Sophos. There’s so much fun.
Fabian
No need for the tree to end the toxic mana. You just need to get critical mass for the purified mana to be self-replicating throughout the 5th, like the toxic mana does. Thats why the ants are stocking up. With how concentrated they get the mana, it will be of higher quality than the 5th possesses, naturally taking over 5th mana up to the last crevice.
Nathan C
Search Discord #idea-corner for Sophos and it will be the 2019 entry
Brandon14754
Interesting that some sophos were able to escape monsterfication and enough to continue on the non-monsterfied species for 2,000 years
Brandon14754
Iirc it was in the 3rd around the time of the last wave (so a few months ago) and it was granin saying something along the lines of it being less than 2 years since the colony has been born
Brandon14754
Theo was told there were two candidates on the fifth right now(monsters with the call) then told the krath there were two monsters he wanted killed or converted so he most likely meant the candidates, if he was just talking monsters purifying the fifth he probably would've brought up the entire wuffer species
Brandon14754
Anthony had tiny before he met but didn't know core shaping, which is what formo taught him. You don't need core shaping to have pets but then the pet will be the same as the monster killed and travel down the same path
Loulatsch
@daroi holtsag why does it need to be a monster with a call? That wasnt specificly mentioned right? Apparently the ancient has an interest in upkeeping the 5th as a toxic stratum. The tree is the only thing which can permanently end the toxic enviroment by rooting all over the stratum and ending the release of toxic mana. For the wuffers to clean the stratum toxic mana needs to exist. So they cant end the release of toxic mana. Thats why the tree was roped in by the ants and they told her to repay her debts.
Caleb Herring
I’d love to see an illustration of our Sophos friends!
Rekcus
He had Tiny when they first met in book one, but not Crynis yet. Formo was the one who told Anthony about the upcoming first wave, just in time for Anthony to tell the queen they needed to flee to the surface.
ZaneofBane
Brilliant!
Gonvas
He can't have the call. He lives in the 1st stratum. If he had the call, he would have been forced to descend.
Anthony Romanov
Now I want a meeting between Formo and Chal's caretakers! Formo out to have knowledge about Chals!
Anthony Romanov
Ants can make toxic area inside of cleansed mana. Like what have they done with Krath prison!
daroi holtsag
Last time Anthony made a comment about how long it has been, it had been a few years at most. iirc that is
daroi holtsag
Kinda. He already had Tiny and i believe Crynis when they met. But Formo did give Anthony some pointers.
daroi holtsag
The tree has been confirmed to no longer be a monster with the call as of her last mutation
Anthony Carter
Perfect, then I believe he is the one I was thinking of. Cheers!
Ben Waschuk
Ya, was riding the giant worm all scary like.
Anthony Carter
Stupid question: is formo the original teacher of Anthony who taught him how to make pets ages ago? I'm trying to recall formo and failing.
Ibuks5
Can't be the tree since most of the Krath know about her, if I remember right. Zluth didn't know anything about the 2nd target.
Loulatsch
Im guessing its the tree. Isnt she an essential part in turning the whole place permanently toxic free. Ülus the tree loves eating the corrupted mana
Ibuks5
I'm guessing the Formo is the other character on the Ancient's hitlist.
BallsDeep69
I remember the sophos can analyze cores at range. They'll probably just stand at the border and wait for a good sample to get close enough to tamper with.
no-thoughts-only-vibes
Armor,buffs, hurrying up,many breaks, and massive amounts of healing i would assume.
alt31415
Okay, but if the cores melt in cleansed mana, and THEY melt in the toxic mana, how are they gonna analyze the cores in toxic mana? Gonna stick them on a selfie-stick and wave it out of the cleansed mana?
taukid
Were there any chapters of the formos and the core shaper? I'd like to reread
Buck
Ah, Formo! A GREAT CHAP if there ever was one! I choose not to consider why he sounds like a UK native! 😂
Ether's Blessed One
Live sample it is.
Crimsonkap
Thank you for the chap, CHAP! Excellent. EXCELLENT I SAY!
Xx xX
How long has it been since Anthony was born? Since the colony changed to sapien? In days/months/years?
JC
BY JOVE!
