Chapter 89 Splendid Chap (1/2)

Flush with the glow of a hard won victory, Tiny and I are unusually not looking forward to the next reward, the Bioma.s.s.

Unfortunately, whatever was blocking our sight ended with the defeat of the last monster, clearing our vision to take in a truly wonderful scene.

The monsters practically exploded when bitten and the remains are scattered over the tunnel floor in a truly unpleasant image. Something this abstract would have to be a Pica.s.so? The spattered goop certainly leaves a strong impression.

Sharing an unwilling look with Tiny we both begin to pick over the tunnel floor reluctantly, looking for something that looks like edible Bioma.s.s.

[You have consumed a new source of Bioma.s.s: Tenebris Serpere, you are awarded one Bioma.s.s]

[Basic profile of the Tenebris Serpere unlocked]

[Tenebris Serpere: Dark Crawler, Produced in the Monster Forges of the Troglodyte engineering guilds, these creatures are tailor made for reconnaissance and stealth missions, deploying an a.r.s.enal of shadow magic for offensive and defensive purposes]

Uh…

WhatyousayGandalf?

What am I reading here? Produced? Monster Forges? Troglodyte Guilds?

What the heck was all o that?!

So these, truly unpleasant to eat creatures were created? By… Troglodytes?

I've never heard of a Troglodyte. What is that?

Well. Focusing back on this fight, the Xp from these creatures was perfectly acceptable. Two whole levels! Once for each! Not to mention the three cores that were able to secure as a result of this battle! Such rewards are almost unprecedented!

Surely this cannot be an omen of something bad about to happen!

…

Ok, nothing terrible so far.

I won't count it out yet.

After splitting the Bioma.s.s with Tiny I gain a further four points, leaving my total on nine. Enough to take my legs from +2 to +4 and enhance my Gravity gland to +1 with one point spare.

I quickly confirm those upgrades with Gandalf while I distract myself from the unpleasant itch by rounding up the monster cores we've gained. Three small, round gem-like stones sit on the dirt in front of us. Apparently these monsters were engineered or created outright by a kind of people called the Troglodytes?

I wonder if there is anything special about these cores?

Extending my antennae to touch one of the cores, I activate the core mechanic skill and begin to study the information contained inside. There is still much that I can't see in there, but what I can see is quite shocking. These monsters have almost no toughness at all, and very little might, the energy is instead diverted into Cunning, to make them more intelligent and towards magical proficiency, including a shadow magic gland.

These are probably the first monsters I've seen with such tanked physical stats in favour of mental and magical prowess. It makes sense if you consider them as designed monsters, to compensate for their physical weakness they were equipped with their darkness cloud spell and whatever projectile they were firing.

Interesting.

Out of curiosity I try and s.h.i.+ft the values a little, just divert a touch of energy over to toughness and I find that it is impossible. When I attempt to make the change I feel as if I'm lifting a mountain with my fingers, there is no way that is going to happen Gandalf! No way at all!

Although it was difficult when I made a change to the undead rabbit core, it was nowhere near this hard! Perhaps the more a core has been engineered and changed the harder it becomes to make additional changes? I can test this theory by working on the rabbit core again when I get back to the nest…

Well, since I can't practice on these cores, I may as well absorb them!

[Compatible monster core detected. Would you like to reinforce your core or reconst.i.tute a monster?]

Reinforce that sucka!

I take in two of the cores which increase my Mp by three points each, which is interesting. For the final core I push it towards Tiny and try to get him to absorb it.

When he sees I've pushed the core towards him he stares blankly at it for a moment before pus.h.i.+ng it back to me.

…

Thinking he didn't understand what I wanted I use my mandibles to push it right up to him and then step back, watching him.

He looks at the core.

He looks at me.

He sits down.

He looks back to the core.

Then he reaches out with one hand, picks up the core and throws it back at me.

…

You d.a.m.ned cheeky ape! That hit me right in the face!