Between a Rock and a Carapace

30. The Monsters Come

It’s true that shadow monsters seem stronger than the creatures of the first stratum at a lower level of evolution. Most of the monsters we encounter are tier two or three, and are significantly stronger than monsters of that same tier we encountered above. It’s keeping life interesting, but the experience and Biomass penalties are still applied. Frustrating! With a sinking feeling in my stomach, I’m coming to realise this means I’ll be permanently gimped for being born as a first stratum monster.

It makes sense, Dungeon-wise. Down here, the Mana is thicker and attributed. This means the Dungeon is able to produce different kinds of body parts, the shadow flesh, for example. Who knows what the lower stratum monsters are capable of, or what they’re made of? Perhaps there are ants born below who are diamond from the moment they come out of their pupal stage…

Jealous! That better not be true!

The only way we can keep up is to push our mutations and Skills to the limit. Although, I wonder if it’s possible to recreate certain body parts into more powerful versions—made from more Mana-intensive materials, is what I’m driving at. I’ve not seen the option, but that doesn’t mean it won’t ever exist. Perhaps arriving in the second stratum is enough to unlock the option. I’ll have to wait until I evolve again to confirm this, but that’s a long way in the future.

Tier five creatures are thin on the ground so far, and to be fair, we’re only creeping through smaller side tunnels. Other than the strong monsters who’ve created their own little kingdoms like that spider, there’s mostly smallfry here.

Must have been crazy in these tunnels during the wave. Thank goodness I never had to see it.

[Master, I sense something strange.]

[Really?]

Mana Sense Levelled up a little while ago and I was able to rank it up to Expanded Mana Sensing, which improved my range, but not my finesse. Crinis still has me dead to rights when it comes to detecting our foes.

[I’m not finding anything, though?]

I concentrate harder to no avail.

[It’s weird,] Crinis mutters. [It’s like dust? The moment I find it, it’s gone again.]

The orb on my back writhes its tentacles back and forth as she tries to find whatever is triggering her eye.

[Tiny, you hearing anything?]

One thing we’ve learned is that Tiny’s ears, even without mutations, are really good. I shouldn’t be surprised, considering he has the large, triangular ears of a bat. I think when he evolves again, he should make them mutable. Tiny cocks his head to one side and listens, then shakes his heavy head.

[Think you can give us some light?]

The big ape nods and concentrates, beginning to spark, electricity roaming over his fur and illuminating the tunnel oh so slightly. The flickering light throws the objects in the tunnel into relief, ironically dousing the tunnel in shadows. Because that’s what we need more of.

It’s enough light that my fancy compound eyeballs are able to be put to use. I scan the tunnel to try and find what it is we’re sensing. But there’s nothing there.

[Are you sure, Crinis?]

[Positive. It’s fast and small. I think there’s more of them, Master.]

[Eh? More? Like, how many?]

Getting nervous at that proclamation, but I don’t even know what I’m looking for! Gently swaying fronds of various poisonous or stabby plants wave through the air, along with dotted stone formations that extend mouths or barbs, or barbed mouths out in order to feast on monsters that pass by. Along with general outcroppings of rock, the tunnels are starting to get quite busy, making it harder to spot… whatever it is I’m looking for.

Wait! I sense something!

To my Mana Sense, it looks as if floating dust suddenly comes together and darts behind a stone.

[I’ve seen it! It really is like moving dust. It came together into a ball and hid. Tiny, spark up a little more, we might be able to see it.]

Tiny grunts in response and the electricity becomes more intense, sizzling and cracking dangerously. The heat in the tunnel begins to rise as the light glitters through the shadow stratum. At first, I can’t see anything.

[Crinis?]

[It’s hard to detect. I feel as if it’s everywhere and nowhere.]

[That doesn’t sound good…]

I stare hard, using my mental faculties as well as my physical ones. I don’t want to be taken by surprise down here in this sea of shadows. Who knows what might happen? More poisons, maybe even death Mana, teeth from the shadows, or dodgy fast food. Who knows what horrors lurk in the darkness?

[Over there!]

I flick an antenna to the right, pointing to the slight movement I caught. Tiny and Crinis both turn quickly, just in time to watch a patch of dirt on the wall crawl together into a blob.

[What is it?] I wonder.

A small sound reaches my antennae then, as if a tiny vibration were rocking the tunnel. The small hairs that cover my antennae stand on end and I refocus on the tunnel walls on the other side. All around us, the walls are shaking as what had appeared to be a layer of dark dirt comes to life and starts to gather together.

[It’s all around us!] I holler.

[Master! I can sense it now. It’s huge!]

I can too. For dozens of metres ahead, as well as dozens behind, my Mana Sense is flaring as whatever this is begins to literally pull itself together from its disparate parts.

“ROOOOAAR!” Tiny bellows, smashing his chest with his mighty fists, his eyes burning with rage.

Finally, a decent fight, he seems to be saying as he snarls, his fangs on display. Lightning surges even thicker across his body and begins to accumulate on his fists as all around, the walls continue to crawl and shift. The dust gathers into small blobs that then begin to seek each other out and merge. Rapidly, bodies are forming all over the place, except my Mana Sense is telling me this is one creature. All the Mana I sense is exactly the same.

Not willing to wait, Tiny leaps and smashes his charged fist into one of the blobs, scattering it with explosive force. The disparate pieces splat into a nearby wall before they quiver and begin to move once more. Tiny shakes his fist, unsatisfied, and turns to another blob to blast it with lightning. Twin streaks of blue energy shatter the air and the blob is vaporised.

To my Mana Sense, not all of the dust was destroyed, but at least some of it was. As if sensing it can be harmed, the dust begins to amalgamate quicker.

[You hurt it, Tiny, keep going!]

The ape grins.