Chapter 169 Stairway to Biomass (1/2)

HOOPAH!

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

Before resting be had dug into the wall to create a resting chamber. I'd estimated how far the veins of light would be able to travel whilst we rested and made sure we had a bit of buffer. I didn't want dumb plant monsters sp.a.w.ning on our heads while re rested from eating dumb plant monsters. I wouldn't have been able to take the irony.

I have a huge wealth of Bioma.s.s 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 aint no brakes on this eating train!

While I'm at it I'll pump my pets full of Bioma.s.s at the same time. Tiny will be ready to evolve soon so he need as much Bioma.s.s 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 Bioma.s.s 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. .h.i.ther 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 Bioma.s.s. At that time the shortcut will have to be extended downwards.

[”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 get up. He waves me away, even reaching over with one ma.s.sive hand to push me as he tries to cover his eyes.

Teenage rebellion?!

[”There'll be food…”]

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

d.a.m.n ape! Have you no shame at all?!

Vibrant jumps into action quickly.

”Morning Senior! Are we eating again today? Will there be das.h.i.+ng?!” she asks.

”There absolutely will be das.h.i.+ng!” I declare, I won'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 newly sp.a.w.ned plant creatures which we destroy as an appetiser, feeding the last hits to Vibrant. Then we step out into the main tunnel once again.

Chaos!

Fighting!

We haven't even started yet?!

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 are engaged in what looks like all-out war!

Up and down the tunnel there are plant monsters doing ferocious battle with other creatures that 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 s.h.i.+mmer 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.