Between a Rock and a Carapace

7. Aphid Time, Spending up

After chatting for a little while, I bid farewell to the Queens and let them get back to their important work, namely eating and producing brood. In one month, the colony will have over ten thousand individuals. I’ve no idea how they’re going to manage the education program now that the wave is subsiding, but I’m sure the council will be able to work something out. Getting literally thousands of monsters to form a core, level up to tier three, and get enough Biomass to mutate is going to be a logistical nightmare. Especially now that the farms aren’t going to be effective.

Wait a second! A flash of understanding hits me and I dash back to the Queen.

“The Aphid Queen, where is she?”

Surprise shows in the twitch of the Queen’s antennae. “My pet? She’s down here, producing young aphids. Where did you think she was?”

Excitement thrills through me.

“So it’s started then? The aphid project? Are there any in the Expanse?”

“I think the first of the aphids went out yesterday,” Victoriant says. “The soldiers and scouts have been hard at work in the Expanse getting it ready. Wills, Advant, and Sloan have been down here since yesterday. Didn’t you know?”

“Uh… I’ve been busy.”

The Queen’s antennae begin to vibrate, as if she senses my lie and is preparing a thwack. I need to clear off!

“I’ll go check it out! Thanks-bye!”

And we’re outta there! Practically sprinting, I blow past some confused-looking Brood Tenders and out into the Dungeon tunnels. From there, it’s a short hop over to the Expanse proper. The ant presence here is immediately visible.

Soldiers and scouts are in position around the entrance, climbing over the mounds of damp earth and clinging to the trees. There are literally hundreds of them here, and a steady column of Biomass is being hauled out and taken to the Queens.

Holy moly! I blinked and the colony moved into the Expanse in a flash! Faced with hundreds of cooperative monsters, it appears as if the monsters of the Expanse had little choice but to roll over and accept their fate.

“Eldest? I didn’t expect to see you here,” Advant’s scent reaches me.

I turn to face the much smaller soldier approaching from the nearby column.

“Hey there, Advant. How goes the Expanse takeover?”

“Smoothly! We managed to exterminate the old aphid population pretty easily. The new aphids are being tended to now, and they started producing Biomass just a few hours ago. Want to have a look?”

Of course!

My glee knows no bounds as I follow Advant into the depths of the marsh, helping to pulverise monsters along the way. It doesn’t take long before I’m able to witness a tender sight that I’d only seen in documentaries before.

High in the branches of the largest, Mana-infused trees, tiny aphids cling to the thinner branches, extracting whatever sweet tree juice they need to survive. All the while, a team of ants watch over them, checking the aphids for problems and shifting them about periodically to ensure they’re getting the most efficient meal. The ants begin to prod the little bugs with their antennae and the aphids happily offer up Biomass for their defenders.

Perfect!

“How many aphids do we have so far?” I ask my guide.

“Roughly thirty. The Aphid Queen only started producing young recently, but the population should rapidly expand. We think we should have over a thousand in a week.”

Makes sense. The aphids, despite their cuteness, are very simple and weak monsters. The only complex thing about them is their capacity to offer Biomass nectar from their business district. No weapons, no armour, no advanced senses. They’re helpless without the ants watching over them.

Which means, egg laying wise, they’re cheap as chips to produce. The Aphid Queen could knock out a couple thousand a week, given enough food.

It’s wonderful to see the system coming together!

“This is good stuff, Advant. This might help the colony pick up the shortfall in Biomass now that the wave has receded.”

“Just as you predicted, eldest.”

With that casual expression of confidence in my non-existent foresight, the ant claps me on the side with one antenna, and then wanders off to see to her many duties. Which leaves Tiny, Crinis, and myself in the middle of the Marsh Expanse, left to our own devices.

I let Crinis and Tiny cut loose to rustle up some experience whilst I try and deal with something I’ve been putting off for some time: my status.

I might have four brains, but I just can’t handle the numbers, dammit! Since the fight with Garralosh, I received a heap of Levels, a heap of Skill Levels, a ton of Biomass, and with all my new glands, there is a metric ton of mutations I need to do. Perhaps the fear of the itch is what did it, or perhaps the fight with Garralosh just left a bad taste in my mouth. Regardless, the time is now!

Currently, my status looks like this:

Name: Anthony

Level: 14 (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 8 (II); Advanced Stealth Level 9 (II); Tunnel Map Level 7 (II); Iron Mind Level 2 (IV); Expert Stamina Level 7 (III); Profound Meditation Level 12 (III); Flicker Dash Level 5 (III)

Mana:

Mana Transformation Level 15 (III); Advanced Condensed Mana Level 9 (III); Finer External Mana Manipulation Level 8 (III); Mana Coveter Level 2 (III); Expert Water Magic Affinity Level 3 (III); Advanced Mind Magic Affinity Level 9 (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 16 (III)

Offensive:

Deadly Acid Shot Level 8 (III); Advanced Precise Shooting Level 9 (II); Omen Chomp Level 3 (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: 17

Biomass: 381

I upgraded Cerebral Endurance to Iron Mind and gained a bunch of Levels in a heap of Skills. What’s really gonna take my time is the Biomass expenditure. After ONE feast of Garralosh, I gained over four hundred and fifty points. Utter nonsense is what it is. Just how many mutations did that old monster have? Mind you… just how Biomass rich am I becoming? I’d rather not think on that, actually.

May as well get started with it, then. We move a little distance away from the ants, where my loyal pets can shield me from prying eyes.

Bring on the menu!

I’ll start with my new acid network.

[Do you wish to improve Acid Nozzle to +5? This will cost 15 Biomass.]

[At this level, you may choose a mutation advancement. Select from the menu.]

Once again, the vast list of possible mutations unfolds within my mind. What a pain. Even for something as simple as the acid nozzle, there’s still this many options?

Let’s see here. Focused Acid Nozzle? Reduces accuracy at range but increases the force of the acid spray. Hose Acid Nozzle? Instead of firing in bursts, it turns into a hose-like attack. Hmmm… Flexible Acid Nozzle, increases the flexibility to improve firing angle even further. I mean, that’s what I originally purchased the nozzle for, but I’m satisfied with the result so far. I think I’ll focus in a different direction.

After much musing, I decide to go with the Pressurised Acid Nozzle. This option improves the range and reduces the spread of the acid fired, meaning I deliver my product with more precision across more distance. This is something I can only endorse.

The Acid Concentration Gland. This organ serves the purpose of thickening and increasing the potency of the acid within the acid gland it’s attached to. I wonder what sort of options I’ll get here?

[Do you wish to improve Acid Concentration Gland to +5? This will cost 15 Biomass.]

[At this level you may choose a mutation advancement. Select from the menu.]

Alright then. The list has hundreds of options, many of them what I expected. You can use the concentration gland to add extra effects to the acid, elemental damage, longer lasting, more acidic—seems as if the concentration gland makes a nice pairing with the acid gland. You can spread your bonuses or further reinforce them with this organ. There isn’t anything that’s too wild here, although the ‘solidifying acid’ one is weird. Turn the acid solid? Why? Perhaps it would make sense in a monster built a little differently than I am, I certainly wouldn’t want to be delivering that product.

In the end, I select the Potent Acid Concentration Gland +5. This will improve the ability of the concentration gland to perform its role, making the sticky and Mana-eating effects of my acid more powerful, without doing much for the damage caused by my acid.

Lock it in and keep going… Only 376 Biomass to go. Ugh.