Antelligent Design

41. Surface Situation

There must be something serious going on up there for there to be all of this smoke and noise. What could it be? We haven’t had an attack for a few days. Perhaps there’s another one massing? Someone definitely needs to go and check it out, and I can’t deny the best person for that role is me.

There’s just one major problem.

“I’m happy to go and scout on the surface, but due to my core strength, if I spend too long up there, I’ll start to run dry. I can manage a few days, perhaps a little longer, but if I’m being super active, the amount of time I can last could diminish beyond that.”

“We are aware of the issue regarding the drain of Mana on developed cores. We were able to consult with Mother about the problem,” Burke assures me. “Our scouts have made it a priority to discover any pockets of concentrated Mana and sniff out Dungeon entrances in order to alleviate the difficulty. We’ve been able to find a number of such locations and have marked them heavily with pheromones. As well as create a few trails you could follow.”

That news brightens me up a little.

“That sounds a lot better. I didn’t realise you’d been able to put together such a competent scouting operation in such a short time.”

Wills waggles her antennae dismissively.

“It’s nothing special at the moment. When we have a more dedicated scout caste of soldiers, it will be one hundred times more efficient. Not to mention we’ve barely begun to map out the Skill and mutation paths best suited to scouting. Burke and I are expecting to have completed our preliminary investigations next week. Which is when we expect the first wave of scout caste evolutions to complete.”

These guys are for sure keeping busy. Look at ’em! Making plans and thinking things through. This is why the colony needed them!

“That sounds great! Well, a few other points I wanted to bring up. I’ve possibly discovered another source of Biomass for the colony. Talk to Mother for the details. I’d like to speak to the Core Shapers for a moment after we’re done here, and then I’ll take Tiny and Crinis to check out the situation on the surface.”

There’s little shifting when I mention the possible Biomass source, but otherwise, the first twenty hatchlings of the new breed are happy to break our meeting there. Only Bella and Ellie, the Core Shapers, remain behind. I take the time to explain my newfound understanding of fusing cores together. They communicate the tests they’ve conducted, and the various Skill combinations they’re experimenting with in order to perform their role.

Ultimately, the Core Shapers are intended to create specialised pets for members of the colony. That doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll use the cores they design for themselves, but it could. Since they’re here, we spend a little extra time discussing their role and what they can contribute to the colony, since they themselves aren’t exactly sure what their purpose is.

To give some scope to the power of Core Shaping as a discipline, I tell them about the Sophos, an entire race of powerful Core Shapers who depend upon the creatures they craft and design for their safety. In particular, I detail the powerful worm Formo rode. To this day, the most powerful monster core I’ve seen.

Ellie and Bella are immensely excited by this news. When we’re done, they sprint out of the chamber to continue their Skill drilling and to expand their plans. To think that Core Shaping and pets aren’t important. What nonsense! The Formica Sapiens species wouldn’t even exist without those Skills. Not to mention how useful and powerful pets can be. Look at Crinis and Tiny! They’ve paid me back more than ten times the cores and Biomass I’ve spent on them. They might give me a few headaches every now and again, but it’s worth it.

Speaking of Crinis and Tiny.

[It looks like we’ll have to go and do some scouting on the surface, team. We all ready for that?]

Tiny looks glum at my words.

[Surface. Bad.]

[I get it, champ. Not a huge fan of having my core leaking either, but there seems to be something big going on up there.]

The big ape grunts, his displeasure clear on his bat face.

[I’m sure we’ll be fine, Master,] Crinis chips in, eager to please as always.

[You will be,] I grumble. [You’re at least one evolution away from suffering from the lack of Mana like Tiny and I.]

[I-I’ll evolve soon! I’ll catch up to the two of you in no time!]

[That’s true. Now is your chance. Even though we’ll be up on the surface, we are likely to run into some Dungeon monsters doing things and going places they shouldn’t. Come on then, no time like the present.]

We all have a decent chunk of Biomass that needs to be spent, but I feel there isn’t any harm in putting it off for a while. Whatever is happening up there sounds important. We can mutate when we take a break from travelling.

So it is that not long after returning from our brief expedition, we find ourselves leaving the nest once again. This time to travel across the surface. Something I hadn’t expected we would be doing again.

Before we leave for the north, back into the ravaged lands of the Lirian Kingdom, I decide to check on the village. It’s only been a few hours since I managed to avert the consumption of most of the population over there, after all. If Enid is back from her hunting trip, then I’m certain there’s going to be a few questions she might have. Smoothing things over before I leave would be the sensible course of action.

Not long after we arrive in the village, I bump into Enid and Morrelia, who only just returned from their Dungeon delve. It doesn’t take long to explain what the scouts have reported, as well as brush off any ‘special announcements’ they might have heard about. It’s after Enid passes on my words to Morrelia that we begin to have a problem.

[I’m coming, too.]

[…I’m sorry. What was that?]

Morrelia looks down at me, her features set into her customary fierce expression, a mood only reinforced by her combat attire, leather armour and swords belted to her back and hip.

[I want to come with you. If something is going on like you say, then I think it would be a good idea for someone from the village to investigate also.]

[I mean, it isn’t as if I would withhold information from the village. I’ve been very cooperative with you. Surely you can agree?] I protest.

For whatever reason, this only causes the warrior woman to frown with even greater ferocity.

[That’s true,] she admits. [But I want to see for myself what’s happening. Perhaps my father is involved. At any rate, it’s past time I went to lend my hand to assist any survivors. The village will be fine if the rest of my squad stays to help train the people here.]

[Gah!] I croak, flailing to think of some reason why she shouldn’t tag along. This lady is trouble! I’m not sure I can take travelling with her all over the north. [We monsters can move quickly and for long distances. Do you really think you can keep up?]

She smiles. I’m sorry to report that it doesn’t make her look any less fierce.