[Yes, yes,] I say to Crinis. [I’ll start taking more experience again. For now, you need to act as Tiny’s support so he can reach Level 80 as fast as possible.]
[I will!] she says, wiggling happily.
When we return to fighting, Tiny goes at it with a vengeance, his armour taking a beating as he throws his considerable weight around, making a mess of everything he can get his fists on. It’s quite the impressive display, and despite the fact he routinely exhausts himself, his Levelling speed picks up significantly, and in less than a day, he too has reached the milestone.
[There you go, Tiny!] I cheer for him. [You’ve finally made it! This is your chance to get even more massive!]
The big ape flexes his trunk-like arms and beats his fists onto the chest plate of his armour, grinning all the while.
[But first I’m going to have to chip away at your bulk in order to make you less stupid.]
The giant, bat-faced ape loses his grin and he curls his arms protectively around himself, as if trying to protect his beefy frame from my depredations.
[Don’t sulk, you’ll get back everything you lose and more when you evolve. Sheesh!]
With the goal achieved, our victorious party makes its way back into the territory of the Colony and all the way into the nest. After a bit of fussing from the Council, at first wondering why we weren’t out fighting, then wondering why we weren’t hurrying to evolve, we make it into the same chamber I evolved in, where we can finish feeding the last of the required resources into my pets.
Rare evolutions for both of them this time around. I have to say, I’m almost as excited for them to evolve as I was for myself. It’s a really good feeling watching the monsters I’ve raised grow alongside me. Tiny was my first pet. I still remember when he was just a little baby ape riding around on my back, getting into trouble. Crinis came much later, but she has quickly become an important member of the group, and her adorable antics are always good fun, even if her actual form is nightmare-inducing.
[I’m really proud of you two,] I say, feeling a touch emotional. [We’ve come a long way together and getting to this point has been difficult. It’s going to be so nice to be able to run around the Dungeon together at the same tier again, and I won’t have to worry about it as much.]
Surprising me, Tiny wraps his furry arms around me in a big hug, prompting Crinis to extend her tentacles and do the same. It’s very nice, but then I spot Invidia, floating by himself off to one side, watching us with his green eye.
[Come on, greedy-boy,] I tell him, waving him over with an antenna. [Get in here.]
He hesitates, then flutters over, and before he knows it, he gets snatched out of the air by Tiny and brought into the group hug.
71. Do the Evolution!
The other predominant theory is that the demons’ very nature, their demonic disposition, if you will, is what causes them to embrace conflict. It’s true that the demons are generally untrusting, aggressive, greedy, short tempered, perpetually unsatisfied, possess an inflated opinion of themselves, or all of the above. Although the question I always come back to is: why?
It’s not enough for a scholar to say ‘they’re born that way’ and have done with it. When we observe creatures of nature, and the traits they are born with, it is possible through study and reasoning to determine the purpose of those traits.
Why do some sorts of insects cooperate? It increases their chances of survival! Why do wolves operate in packs? Why do geese flock together? Why do lions move in prides? Why do bears hibernate in the winter?
We can make educated guesses as to the purpose of each of these things. So, in my opinion, it stands to reason that we can do the same for demons.
When viewed in this way, the answer becomes apparent rather quickly, though I have failed to convince many of my contemporaries of the veracity of this hypothesis. Demon society is embroiled in a constant state of conflict, at almost every conceivable level, because it produces stronger demons that way.
There is no such thing as resting on your laurels for a demon. No such thing as a happy retirement. If one of their kind manages to rise to the top, they need to continue to rise, lest they be overtaken and cast down by others more worthy. It’s a brutal, single-minded approach to community, and one that suits them rather well.
Though many have tried, there are none who have managed to subdue the monsters native to the third stratum for long. They can be reasoned with, to an extent. Bargained with, to a point. But they are so, so difficult to conquer.
Warm and fuzzies out of the way, it’s time for the big moment! We max out their cores, and before anything else can happen, I need to make a few adjustments to Tiny.
[Get over here, dammit!] I yell at the ape, who’s attempting to run away. [It’s not going to hurt! All I’m going to do is transfer some stats from Might to Cunning.]
He flinches as if I just told him I’m going to shift his bones around.
[Tiny… Get over here right now or I swear I’ll switch half your muscle mass into neurons. Maybe then you’ll be smart enough to stack one block on top of another.]
He appears wounded, as if to say ‘that was a little excessive. I’ll have you know that I put two blocks on top of another, thank you very much!’
[Alright, I’m sorry. Okay? Just come over. I’ll make you smart enough to use the manual evolution and that’s it.]
Reluctance still evident in every part of his body, Tiny makes his way over, running his hands along his biceps and bulging shoulder muscles with a mournful gaze. I do my best to ignore his pleading expression as I bring my antennae forward and activate Core Manipulation.
With the sheer mental power I now bring to the table, it’s way easier than it ever was before to adjust cores, and I get to work making the necessary changes. In order to keep things in balance, I do my best to ensure the loss of Might is generally applied across his whole body and not concentrated on any particular place. That way, he won’t become ungainly in some way that might negatively affect his evolution. When the job is done, he’s become noticeably less bulky in places, but now has enough Cunning to be somewhat less dense. Speaking of which.
[Just exactly how thick was your skull, man?] I demand. [There wasn’t enough room up there for additional mass, half of it’s sitting in your neck!]
It’s true, his skull was remarkably thick, which might explain how he’s managed to avoid severe brain injury from all the beatings he’s taken over the weeks and months. I knew he was thick but didn’t realise it’d gotten to this level. After making this change, it’s off to see Granin for a final appointment.
[Finally got there, did you?] Torrina welcomes us with a smile as we park outside the golgari offices. No chance we all fit in there… [I’ll get Granin for you.]
A few moments later and the surly old rock trundles out to greet us.
[Now it’s your turn, eh?] he turns to Tiny and Crinis with a broad grin. [Tier six! The big leagues! Jeez, I can’t remember the last time I heard about a Shaper walking about with three tier six pets. That’s a literal fortune in cores being invested right there.]
[Rare cores this time around,] I boast. [Only the best!]