Antelligent Design

143. The Paragon’s Fight

How long have I been asleep! Just what on Earth went on around here? From the mound of the nest, the surrounding area is a complete disaster zone. The rings of walls the colony worked so hard to build are in ruins, smashed apart. The dirt walls are collapsed in places to create wide ramparts now covered in fallen monsters.

In fact, just about everything is covered in Biomass. Holy moly! Just how many enemies did they manage to kill whilst I was sleeping? Judging by the thick carpet of remains spread before me, just about all of them! This much Biomass will feed the colony for ages. We could triple our numbers if we manage to shovel all of this into the queen.

Actually, speaking of the queen…

Gotta get down there!

Garralosh is scrabbling in the dirt as she tries to escape the howling vortex that is my Gravity Bomb. Good luck with that, you mega lizard. If I’d had enough time, I’d have condensed it and maybe you’d be dead already. My three sub-brains are already weaving another one as I concentrate on my rush to the front line. I need to get there before my spell is finished.

“Eldest, you’re awake!” Sloan appears at my side to say.

“Obviously! What the hell is going on? What happened to the queen?”

“She’s been fighting Garralosh. The creature is too powerful for us. We could only try and support her from a distance. I think her core has run out of Mana!”

I curse.

“I’ll rush over and distract the fat croc. When you get a chance, get down there and get Mother out. You understand me?”

“Of course, eldest! Good luck!”

I’m gonna need it…

When they see me, the rest of the colony chips in their ten cents.

“Finally awake, eldest?”

“The slacker has arrived! We’ve been doing all the work!”

“Shove some Biomass in it, you lot,” I grumble. “I’m here now, aren’t I?”

“Barely in time! Work hard, eldest!”

“Show them what the colony is made of, eldest!”

As I speed past the ants huddled at the wall, I can feel them tug at me through my new gland. It’s a bit… disconcerting. I don’t really understand what it means, and to be honest, I’m still struggling to adapt to my new body. My status has undergone a massive change. I’m more than twice my previous size, for starters! In fact, I’d say I’m even a bit bigger than the queen was before she evolved, but still smaller than afterward. Which means I’m running around larger than a minibus. I’d estimate my size at over two metres tall and six metres long.

That change is… abrupt! I’m not used to this size. I’m freakin’ huge! The other ants look tiny as I skitter over their heads.

The moment I woke up and got moving, I took a peek at my status and the change is stunning.

Name: Anthony

Level: 1 (rare core) (V)

Might: 91

Toughness: 79

Cunning: 64

Will: 55

HP: 158/158

MP: 250/250

Skills

General:

Expert Excavation Level 5 (III); Enhanced Grip Level 6 (II); Advanced Stealth Level 9 (II); Tunnel Map Level 7 (II); Expert Cerebral Endurance Level 19 (III); Expert Stamina Level 5 (III); Profound Meditation Level 10 (III); Flicker Dash Level 2 (III)

Mana:

Mana Transformation Level 13 (III); Advanced Condensed Mana Level 7 (III); Finer External Mana Manipulation Level 8 (III); Mana Coveter Level 1 (III); Expert Water Magic Affinity Level 3 (III); Advanced Mind Magic Affinity Level 7 (II); Empowered Mana Sensing Level 9 (II)

Pet:

Distant Pet Communication Level 5 (II); Core Surgery Level 6 (III); Pet Growth Speed Level 1 (I)

Defensive:

Expert Exo-Skeleton Defence Level 14 (III)

Offensive:

Deadly Acid Shot Level 7 (III); Advanced Precise Shooting Level 8 (II); Omen Bite Level 1 (IV)

Mutations

Senses:

Heightened Perimeter Eyes +20; Oracle Antennae +20

Defence:

Hardened True Diamond Carapace +20; Supportive Healing Inner Carapace Plating +20

Physical:

Tough Rapid Osmotic Legs +20; Bright Empowered Mandibles +20; Potent Regrowth Regeneration Gland +20; Convincing Pheromone Gland +20; Selective Gluttonous Stomach +20; Musculature; Sub-Neural Network

Acid:

Mana Feasting Bind Acid +20; Acid Nozzle; Acid Concentration Gland; Acid Stimulation Gland

Mental:

Indomitable Coordination Cortex +20

Mana:

Unending Gravity Magic Gland +20; Collective Will Vestibule +3

Species: Juvenile Colony Paragon (Formica Sapiens)

Skill Points: 5

Biomass: 0

I put all of my available Biomass into bringing my Vestibule to +3. If anything is going to help me out in this fight, it’s going to be that. Then I bought my fusion Bite Skill for nine—nine—Skill Points. I’m banking a lot on that Skill. I’m not confident I can break through that damn croc’s scales without a truly epic Skill.

When I reach the wall and fling myself off, to my shock I find my three sub-brains have already completed a Gravity Bomb. Far from a maximum power one, but I’ll take it! The first spell has begun to flicker and die so the timing is perfect!

Fire!

HOOOOWLLLL!

Another spinning, dark purple sphere of death erupts from my mouth and speeds straight toward Garralosh’s monstrous bulk. She seems distracted, failing to dodge, and the spell strikes home again! Gwehehehehehe. Take that, you stupid lizard! Feel the superiority of ant-kind with your own body!

Man, my brains have really taken a step forward. With each gaining more grunt in the form of buffed stats, and the addition of the third, more powerful sub-brain, coupled with the multiplicative effect of the Coordination Cortex allowing them to achieve more together than they could apart, they are really proving some serious worth.

Now that I’m this close to Garralosh, I need to be careful with Gravity Bombs. I switch the pilot sub-brain into forming a Mind Magic Array and put the other two to the task of forming Gravity Bolts. If Garralosh wants to be the heaviest monster around, I can make that wish come true.

“Hi-Hi, senior!”

“Vibrant? Why are you down here?”

“Helping, of course! Did you have a good sleep?”

“I think I slept a little too well…”

“It’s been booooring without you here. Are you gonna fight?”

“Well… yeah? Think you can stick around? I could use your speed.”

“Everyone needs more speed!” she giggles and Dashes behind me.

“First thing’s first, we need to cover for the queen until the others can get her out.”

I Dash to reach the queen’s side. On the sidelines, the croca-beasts stand in a wide semi-circle around their mother. They appear angry, hungry, but somehow, in the eyes of the more evolved ones, I can see their unshakeable confidence. They’ve never seen their mother lose and they don’t think they’re about to see it happen now. I suspect that unless Garralosh asks them to intervene in her fight, they won’t.

I can use that.

“Troublesome child.”

The warm scent of the queen washes over my antennae.

“Hi there, Mother. How’s the battle going?” I try to be flippant, but I can’t help showing my relief that she’s alright.

“Better, now that you are here. I… can no longer fight.”

“You did your bit, now it’s my turn. The others are going to get you out of here any second now.”

Even when I look back at the wall, I can’t see any activity. Where is the rescue party? They must be up to something. No chance they’d leave Mother down here to die.

“Time to get to work then!” I say.

I leave my mother and run to engage the humongous croc from another angle. Her scales are glowing orange. Is that normal? Damn, it’s hot! This is going to limit my acid options…

No matter. I can make it work!

With my Mind Magic Array ready to go, I fire off my prepared Gravity Bolts, focusing both spells on one of Garralosh’s feet, and begin to weave a Mind Bridge to her.

Let’s see what goes on in the mind of a former human who turned into a giant lizard.