[Ah… Yes? Friendly person who is an ally? That shouldn’t be that surprising, should it?] I shrink back a little from her cutting aura.
Seeing my attitude, Morrelia’s expression softens. [It’s a little unusual that you would be this strong, this young, according to what I know of monsters. I was honestly shocked when you unleashed that… ball of death. What was that?]
Aha! The excellence of my magic has made an impression after all! I swell with pride.
[That! That was my Gravity Bomb! Fearsome destructive power, no?] I boast.
[Gravity?] Morrelia asks, her face intent. [Is that the type of Mana you used?]
It’s my turn to become a little evasive. I don’t intend to give up all my secrets, woman! Perhaps a little wisdom is finally starting to blossom in me!
[Let’s not worry about that too much, we were discussing the giant crocodile who is apparently out to eat us?]
Visibly disappointed, Morrelia continues with what she had been saying.
[Garralosh has been prevented from descending deep into the Dungeon. I won’t go into too much detail, but suffice to say she hasn’t had access to the higher tier monsters and cores she would need to evolve to a massive height. We believe the last time she successfully evolved was seventy years ago.]
[Wow! That’s a long time to not progress. Wait a second. Did you say something about cores?]
[I did. Why?]
Cores… Cores… Something about cores.
[Crinis?]
[Yes, Master?]
[Did any of us take the core out of the Garralosh Commander?]
[You ordered me to focus on the arms and then run, Master. I thought it was odd, but I didn’t want to question your orders.]
Oh my Gandalf. There’s no way…
[Tiny…] I ask desperately, knowing the answer before I even ask the question. [Did you collect the core?]
The big ape just shakes his head, almost proudly. [Nope!] he declares, thumping himself on the chest for emphasis.
DAMMIT.
To the immense and visible confusion of Morrelia, I flop onto my back and start thrashing at the dirt with my legs, a tantrum of the finest quality.
I could have used that stupid core! Not for me, God no, but for Mother! If I’d come back with a second rare core then surely the queen could have been persuaded to accept it, allowing herself to evolve into a powerful form that could support the entire colony, and more importantly, keep her safe! Such a waste… Anthony, you freaking moron! What’s a hundred Biomass compared to the rare core?
As quickly as I’d flopped onto my back, I flip myself over again.
[We have to go back!] I declare.
Morrelia’s eyes widened. [What! Are you insane? What will happen if you run into Garralosh?]
[I need the core out of that monster! That’s a rare core we left behind out there!]
She freezes.
[You didn’t get the core?] she demands incredulously. [You stayed back there just to get those limbs?]
[You freaked me out!] I defend myself. [We heard some supernaturally loud growling, and you panicked, then I panicked!]
[Even so, I’m not going back there just yet. We should lay low for the time being and head back out tomorrow.]
[There is no chance the core will still be there by then! I’ll go on my own, nice and stealthy. I’ll take a quick peek, grab the core if I can, then return. Ok?]
I turn to my two pets.
[I’m going to go back and take a look for the core, you guys stay here with Morrelia and regroup. Feel free to eat what we took from the commander. I’ll be back as soon as I can.]
With that said, I don’t pause to see if anyone has a response before I run up the wall and back onto the surface. If I can get that core for Mother, then I sure as hell am going to!
60. Stealth Ant Rides Forth, Status Update
Leaving behind my three co-adventurers, I make my way back along our trail as quick as I can whilst keeping a low profile. Seeing as I’m on my own, I don’t want to stumble into a fight I can’t handle.
It’s unnerving to be exposed on the surface. That lack of comfort pierces me right in the confidence now that I’m here without any backup. In fact, there’s no Tiny and no Crinis alongside me for the first time in how long? Crinis has been with me since not long after we reached the surface during the wave. But Tiny’s been with me long before that. Since finding the colony almost!
That big lug-head. As much as his… limited decision-making capacity and hunger for a fight has been an inconvenience to say the least, it’s fun having him around. He isn’t much for conversation, but things tend to never be boring when he’s present. He doesn’t exactly ‘settle’ for the status quo. Tiny pushes himself, pushes the situation forward, never allowing himself to shy from a challenge. I admire that.
Or he’s stupid and free from any sense of self-preservation. Either way, it’s fun to have him with me.
I will perform Core Surgery on him and buff his intellect, though. Every time he charges forward into nigh mortal danger, I feel myself internally age another ten years. If he keeps going at the rate he’s going, I’m going to wither away to dust by the end of the year.
If they even have years here. Rather, how long is each year in this world? It could be one of those places that orbits its star once every six thousand days. Presuming people grow at the same speed as they did on Earth, you’d be eighteen Earth years by the time your first birthday rolled around.
Running through the fields, I keep my antennae twitching here and there, making use of my range of vision to prevent anything from sneaking up on me. I engage in the stealthy patterns of behaviour that served me so well in the first weeks of my life in this world. Obviously, I can’t attach myself to the ceiling up here, denying me the full experience of my youth, but I do my best to keep my profile hidden in the long grass, sticking my head up every now and again to take in the lay of the land.
I haven’t seen anything yet, but that doesn’t mean I won’t.
I’m still gutted I forgot to secure that core. Just when I thought I might be getting a little smarter, a little wiser, I go ahead and do something stupid like this. That core would mean so much for the colony if I could get it to the queen, I’m sure of it. If she can evolve in an awesome way, who knows what she might be able to become?
Perhaps it’s my ant instincts in me, but I deeply want the queen to be safe and secure in the nest. The thought of any harm coming to her just makes my little ant heart hurt. Personally, I don’t think it has much to do with my new body. Having a family, having a parent who cared and valued me, that’s something I’ve never had before. I don’t like to dwell on the negative much, but my human life had been… less than ideal.
Even something simple like being accepted without question by my siblings, the trust and care the queen, my mother, showed without expecting anything in return. It’s nice. I was desperate for this sense of belonging. I can see that now. Perhaps that’s why I was so quick to accept my place within the colony. Now that I’ve invested so much into my new family, I want to ensure only the best for them.
Which is why I want this damn core!
It’s quite the journey to make it back to where we defeated the croca-commander. Remaining focused during my travel time exposed under the open sky, crouching low when I can, moving swiftly and carefully.
Even so, I get a chance to check my status and take in a few of the Skill Level ups I missed during the fight against the commander. Battling against tough foes can really net Levels at a quick pace.