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Chapter 1064 - So What Have We Gained?
🕑 Added 2022-10-28 10:26:13 +0000 UTC[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 wasn’t 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. Asides from the muscle I’ve put on, my new carapace is waymore 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: 368
Toughness: 342
Cunning: 231
Will: 199
HP: 684/684
MP: 800/800
Skills:
General:
Grandmaster Excavation (V) Level 1; Master Grip (IV) Level 1; Expert Stealth (III) Level 18; Tunnel Compass (IV) Level 17; Iron Mind (V) Level 15; Master Stamina (IV) Level 22; Still Meditation (IV) Level 39; Flash Dash (V) Level 1;
Mana:
Advanced Mana Craft (VI) Level 1; Condensed Mana (V) Level 1; Grand Finer External Mana Manipulation (V) Level 1; Mana Hoarder (V) Level 1; Layered Mind Magic Affinity (V) Level 36; Extended Directed Mana Sensing (V) Level 1; Expert Healing Magic Affinity (IV) Level 3; Advanced Omni-Elemental Affinity (VI) Level 25; Advanced Mana Masking (IV) Level 1; Wood Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Metal Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Lightning Magic Affinity (I) Level 1; Advanced Force Magic Affinity (IV) Level 1; Advanced Barrier Magic Affinity (III) Level 12; Gravity Magic Affinity (I) Level 2;
Pet:
Further Pet Communication (III) Level 20; Core Crafting (IV) Level 18; Pet Growth Speed (I) Level 5;
Defensive:
Divine Exo-Skeleton Defence (VI) Level 1; Grandmaster Dodge (V) Level 1; Grandmaster Endure (V) Level 1; Expert Grace (IV) Level 1; Master Mandible Parry (III) Level 1;
Offensive:
Guided Acid Shot (V) Level 1; Grandmaster Precise Shooting (V) Level 1; Void Chomp (VI) Level 1; Master Chomp Combo (III) Level 1; Spear Charge (III) Level 1;
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:
Propagating Mana-Feasting Bind Acid Gland +30; Guided Hyper Pressurised Scattershot Acid Nozzle +30; Thickened Draining Acid concentration gland +30; Exhausting Thickener 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: 71
Biomass: 508
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, lo and behold, it appeared!
Gravity Magic is finally MINE!
Comments
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Veritas Dolor
skills aren't updated
MrrC
I think she travels via shadow
MrrC
That is likely why his carapace is black. Compressing diamond to the point that it decrystallizes and becomes something akin to the heart of a star / dark matter.
Isiah Debarros
The three members that are with the colony
Gonvas
Not many factions know about his magic and those that do probably assumed he already had the skill xD
Quyan640
Seeing as how Anthony can evolve into an ant energy being, I can see that happening.
Isiah Debarros
I want the cults reaction to him getting the Gravity skill
Grey Knight Lord
Crinis is so much like a a yandere house wife. Next evolution she is becoming a symbiote to attack permanently to Anthony.
David Burchfield
I suspect Crinis will prioritize some sort of ability to keep this from happening again when she evolves.
Gonvas
We don't know if that was the teleport that took him to the 3rd stratum. And the teleport to Rilik's team seemed to bring Crinis along so she can probably tag along in short range teleports.
Greyg
When Anthony got teleported by brilliant wasn’t he outside the evolution chamber talking to the mercs he even talked to the shadow while talking with the mercs so wouldn’t she have been left essentially out in the open next to the mercs as they watched him vanish before them. The chapter could have started with them getting a frightening experience seeing a mass of tentacles and teeth angry just my opinion, as she makes her way back to the hive to wait for his return the writing just makes it seem like she never left the chamber the entire time
Rodney Maestrado
Crinis sounds like a death zone waiting to happen. Legends will be told of a stratum covered in shadows and tentacles where nothing it touches ever escapes
Frank Moore
Poor Crin, what is the colony going to do the next time mean O'l Anthony leaves her behind.
James
I shut down for a second trying to imagine gravity compressed diamond because compressed coal creates diamond(and we all know how amazing diamond is), so what in all that is sacred would compressed diamond even result into😱😱 This is exactly why I love Chrysalis and authors like RinoZ 👌🏾👌🏾👍🏾👍🏾❤
Koala Man
:)
