Upping The Ante

56. Stairway to Biomass

HOOPAH!

I snap to alertness hours later, ready for action. Vibrant and Crinis are still slumbering on my back, the little ant using the ball-like Jellymaw as a pillow.

While creating our resting chamber, I’d estimated how far the veins of light would be able to travel while we slept, and made sure we had a bit of a buffer. I didn’t want dumb plant monsters spawning on our heads while we rested from eating dumb plant monsters. I wouldn’t have been able to take the irony.

I have a huge wealth of Biomass saved up at the moment, more than I’ve ever had before, but I don’t want to spend it yet. I’ll pile up as much as I can before heading back to the surface. This is a long-term, pre-evolution feast-fest bonanza! There ain’t no brakes on this eating train!

While I’m at it, I’ll pump my pets full of Biomass at the same time. Tiny will be ready to evolve soon, so he needs as much Biomass as I do. Whereas Crinis just needs to keep on growing until she’s ready to fight.

Vibrant on the other hand is getting a prime opportunity to supercharge her growth. She’ll be swimming in Biomass points by the time we’re done down here, getting all of her organs to +5 should be a piece of cake.

The second part of our mission here is to create a path back to the surface, a staircase if you will. I don’t want to have to follow winding tunnels hither and thither every time I want to come down into the Dungeon. If the colony is going to settle here long-term, then a shortcut to the deeper Dungeon is absolutely in order. After I evolve, I’ll have to go even deeper than this to get a decent amount of Biomass. At that time, the shortcut will have to be extended again.

[“Time to get up, you slugs!”] I shout at my lazy crew.

As usual, Tiny requires a few extra pokes until he’s ready to rise. He waves me away, even reaching over with one massive hand to push me as he tries to cover his eyes.

Teenage rebellion!

[“There’ll be food…”]

The ape’s eyes snap open like lightning and he leaps to his feet, purposefully flexing his fingers, looking every inch alert and ready for action.

Damn ape! Have you no shame at all?

Vibrant jumps into action. “Morning Senior! Are we eating again today? Will there be Dashing!”

[“There absolutely will be Dashing!”] I declare to the group. Wouldn’t miss a chance to train my skills.

“Yaaaaaay!” Vibrant cheers, even Crinis extends a few tentacles into the air and wiggles them happily.

What is this scene? Are we on a family vacation or about to engage in slaughter and gruesome feasting? Or is it both…

Who cares!

Onwards!

Descending back down our newly dug tunnel we do indeed encounter a few freshly spawned plant creatures which we destroy as an appetiser, feeding the last hits to Vibrant. Then we step out into the main tunnel.

Chaos!

Fighting!

This is very different to the scenes we saw yesterday. Everything was surprisingly chill with the plants until we started to rumble with them. But here, they’re engaged in what looks like all-out war.

Up and down the tunnel, plant monsters engage in ferocious battle with other creatures we hadn’t seen before.

At first glance they appear to be like heavily muscled pigs or boars. On closer examination, there is something strange about their hides. They seem to glisten, or shimmer in the light. It’s almost as if they’re… metallic? Are these metal pigs?

Indeed, all around us, the plants are engaged in a fight to the death with these pigs who tear at them with fierce tusks or charge them into the ground before ripping into their plant fibres with their teeth.

On my right, farther back and surrounded by plants, is a giant pig. The mega pig! Easily twice the size of its smaller pig brethren, this specimen is obscenely muscular, almost grotesquely bulging with mass beneath its thick, gleaming hide.

Well, if these guys have metallic properties to their skin, electricity ought to go right through them.

[Tiny, go punch up that giant thing over there. I’ll take care of the plants and small fry.]

He acknowledges my instructions with a nod and grunt combo, unusually communicative for him in a fight. I can only presume he agrees with these instructions. Bearing his fangs, he gradually builds up momentum until he’s flying at full speed, the ground trembling beneath the impact of his massive fists.

As he charges, electricity ripples along his arms and shoulders, gathering in intensity like a storm. Tiny bursts through the crowd of plants cornering the massive boar and roars his challenge, smashing out with one mighty fist. Electrical energy flashes and lights up the piggy like a Christmas tree. The victim bellows in pain, thrashing wildly and throwing the ape back with a titanic crash.

Holy moly!

I do not want to be caught in the middle of that… Still, it seems my hypothesis on the metallic skin being weak against Tiny rang true. Pretty sure that monster’s skeleton was visible.

Those two big bruisers can go at it, my job is to serve the greens on the side. Dashing madly about with my cheering hangers-on clinging to my back, I fire acid at the annoying ones and move to snip apart the most dangerous plants. Any pigs I come across are ground into mince by the relentless application of my Infused Mandibles and Shattering Bite, metallic skin or no.

Their defence is admittedly quite hefty, but these particular pigs either haven’t mutated it or need to further evolve before it matches up to the Earth Bear Tyrant. I do get smashed in the side at one point by a charging pig. The Diamond Carapace held firm.

Idiot pig! Metal or diamond, which did you think was going to be superior?

Muahahahaha!

As I clean out the smaller creatures, Tiny continues to dominate the big pig, smashing it about with his powerful lightning fists. Each time he connects, a ringing boom bursts out like a thunderclap, telling of the immense force behind each swing.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The pig is reeling at this point. Staggering from side to side, it’s desperately swinging its head to try and gouge Tiny with a tusk, but it isn’t going to happen. The ape smartly backs off a touch as he watches his prey intently with his bat eyes. Finally, he seems to sense weakness and opens his mouth wide to unleash his sonic scream!

SKREEEEEEEE!

Holy crap! That is only getting louder!

With my firm will I hold on, but all around me plants and pigs are drooping to the ground, stunned by the shattering noise. On my head, Vibrant has gone completely limp, flopping like a wet towel. Even Crinis is looking more like melted jelly than her usual self.

The pig was taken completely by surprise, the point-blank sonic attack has blasted it senseless and Tiny takes advantage by winding up a massive two-handed hammer. Leaping into the air to unleash the full weight of his frame, the ape collects a ferocious amount of lightning in his fists, causing them to glow so bright I can barely stand to look at them.

BOOOOOOM!

Both hands collapse like a falling mountain on the head of the unfortunate pig, the discharged electricity rippling through its body and roasting it from the inside.

I’m determined not to get my hopes up. This Dungeon will surely find a way to make even roast pig taste disgusting.

With their leader taken out, the rest of the pigs and the battered plants aren’t able to resist us for long. Within twenty minutes, we’re once again seated, feasting without rest, without remorse!

OM NOM. NOM. NOM!

I gain another eleven Biomass from this meal, plus one for the new species. My wealth is amassing! Not to mention a few skill Level ups I achieved in the fight.

[Dash (1) has reached Level 3.]

[Shattering Bite (III) has reached Level 6.]

With plenty of energy left, since we only recently woke up, the gang is set to digging the shortcut again, carving a more direct path back to the colony through the Dungeon. After several hours of dirt shifting labour, we rest.