Cooperation, and the sharing of knowledge lead the rational races out of the darkness and towards civilization. At least for most of the rational races that is true. However, the aväk had a despotic overlord rip them from their simplistic lives and drag them into the light.Despite the unwillingness of their rationalization, they still possess the core quality that makes civilization possible. This is an early development that every sentient race that I know of has, and something the aväk excel at. It is a pack instinct. They go from a school of larvae, to an unruly hive, then a wandering swarm, to a territorial pack, a small tribe and then an organized colony. Each stage of development is marked by a metamorphosis, and a growing reliance upon its hatch-mates. While each stage makes the aväk physical form markedly more complex, it is this bond that lifts them out of ignorance. At every stage there is a reinforcement to their pack instinct.
The bond of hatch-mates are very tight knit with many laying down their lives to ensure that others would survive. It is why aväak’s never rebel, and why deväk’s do. It is what makes deväk almost like a pest to other races, including its own. Deväk’s have a blinding hunger for the aväk and whatever else they are mixed with, going out of their way to consume all that they can. It is part of the reason deväk are so rare, while the other part is their instinctual desire to grow as diverse as possible. The aväk seek to be stagnant and genetically stable, deväk seek strength in variation. This desire is a double edged sword for the outcasts. The more they vary the less aväk intelligence they gain per metamorphosis. Leading most deväk to be dumb or animalistic. This, my friends, is the reason why our young daväk was so special and why it was mechanically killing ants while covered in the gore of their fallen kin.
Ancient elegant oaks taller than the eye could see, mysterious mist keeping things just out of sight, air pulsing with every flavor mystic energies; the Lost woods absolutely reeked of adventure. It is funny how adventure smells like, shit, blood, death, and mortal peril, but I digress. The trees, the leaves, even the ground seemed to vibrate with life. Picturesque would be putting it mildly. A captivating sight that could be enjoyed by anyone with eyes. Okay maybe not just eyes, at least a quarter of a working brain.
So naturally our bug didn't notice a thing.
While wandering, well stumbling is more apt with the bug’s messed up anatomy. While stumbling through the Lost Woods the infant deväk stumbled upon a patrol of the aggressive and highly dangerous desecrator ants. In ages past this relatively small species of purple and black ants would use their corrosive venom to wipe whole settlements off the map. The ants poison the ground with every hunt and it destroys the surrounding nature, causing famine wherever they go. After hunting near Helendale for years, they ruined the soil for many farms near the edge of the woods. Despite only a few farms being affected many suffered and died without ever knowing the cause of their bad luck.
In the past many highly ranked and leveled adventurers came together to fight against the desecration, but never being able to fully eradicate them. Eventually seculding the bugs completely to the Lost Woods. You see dear friends, these specific ants need to eat a specific type of magical plant to use their specific venom. So eradicating the plants neutered the desecrator ants killing potential. The Lost Woods was the only place the plant grew because nobody wanted to go in there, mostly because everyone that ventured in died. Plus they would have to kill the whole forest, and thus the woods herself. Which most would agree is impossible, and a really dumb way to die. Neither the deväk nor the five desecrators knew any of this, the only thought that they had upon seeing each other was, ‘Oh look, food!’.
The ants made a horrible screeching noise, which was their signal to attack the intruder. Spreading out to circle the deväk, however before the circle was complete the deväk used its misshapen, but powerful legs to pounce. Smashing into the lead ant it began to tear into its foe's chitin, lacking the sharp claws of the auxiliary pair the main arms of the deväk began to punch and pull at the limbs of the ant. The auxiliary arms were currently jabing and trying to stab through the monster's plating. The ant was momentarily stunned as the deväk assaulted it, but it wasn't long before it reared back and opened its mouth to spit its corrosive poison all over its attacker. It was interrupted when it suddenly had its arm ripped off. If this was any other creature this would have been a debilitating injury, but being an ant has its advantages. However, that didn't factor in when the deväk stabbed it's claws through it's simple eye and deep into what passed for it's brain.
The four remaining ants were not deterred by this development since they were, well, ants. They proceeded by launching an insync barrage of acid. This was only possible because the simple ants were all mentally linked. Expecting their prey to begin dissolving under their deluge, they moved in for the kill. The prey in question merely looked at itself and cocked its head in confusion. It didn't understand what had just happened, and it wondered if it had misread the situation. It didn't know what they had covered it in, and thought that it might have been food since it came from their mouths. If so, was this them trying to be nice and feed the starving deväk?
It was also warm and kind of tingling to the magical senses of its chitin. Neither aväk nor deväk had nerves in their chitin, if they did our little friend would probably be in quite a lot of pain. Thankfully the chitin was slightly magical in nature and blocked any serious damage. Our small bulbous friend decided that they probably weren't trying to be nice, when the ants started biting it all over. Not that this really did anything to it either, again chitin. It wasn't full aväk chitin of course, but that just shows how durable young aväk are.
Letting this continue was not high on a list of things the deväk wanted to do, if it even had a list to begin with. So it began grabbing hold of the ants heads and trying to stab them through their purple glowing eyes. Which it thought of as their 'shiny soft bits'. Unfortunately, the ants were not very cooperative with their would-be brain surgeon, and did their best to get away from the slightly dripping deväk. Still two more ants fell to its claws before the message that they were outmatched was received by the surviving two. Before the pair could flee with due haste, the pair was reduced to one. As prey turned predator, our deväk managed to force the slower one to the ground. Forcing its claws through a break in the chitin the deväk ripped the struggling ant's head clean off, covering itself in gore.
Seeing a bountiful meal in front of its eyes the deväk didn't even consider chasing the escapee. Well it did consider it, but only because it wasn't sure if this bounty would fill it completely. Before it started digging into its meal the little bug took the time to wipe itself off. Being of an insectoid persuasion, having liquid on its shell was making it hard for it to breathe. Like most insects the deväk didn't breathe per se, its carapace was slightly porous and it pulled oxygen from the air without needing to inhale or exhale. So being covered in liquid was a good way to suffocate.
After wiping itself off the deväk let both of its Marg tendrils free and tentatively took a bite. The Marg's teeth and jaws easily pierced and crushed the chitin. It pulled off hunks of flesh with extreme ease. The deväk wished it had used these in the fight earlier; it would have gone so much faster, but its instincts had screamed that it was dangerous. It would definitely have to ignore those instincts next time if it made the killing easier.
Finding the ants extremely tasty, the deväk began devouring them with gusto. It discovered that it still preferred the brain, but the meaty thorax was a close second. When it reached the poison sack it took a small bite and immediately regretted it. The poison's corrosive properties burned a hole in one of its mouths. Which is a lot better than having it injected, or accidentally ingesting it. They inject their poison into bigger targets, killing them in seconds, which is the only real reason the deväk had done so well against the ants. Being the same size, and having a sturdy carapace saved the young deväk. It was like a rock, while the ants were scissors, just a bad matchup for the ants. Nearing the end of its feast something unexpected happened.
Parasitical Growth
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Consume those around you grow. Strengthen your tries to your lineage, gain Traits and stabilize genetic flaws by consuming within your gene pools.
Desecrator Ants added to the arthropod gene pool.
Learning from earlier mistakes our little bug didn't run at the sight of the windows this time. Instead it relaxed and let the messages pop within its mind. It now understood that this would help it avoid the bad death thing. Becoming reasonably more excited, the deväk focused on gene pools hoping to pull up another window, and was rewarded.
Gene pools
Parasitical Growth Progress
Arthropod (Aväk, Desecrator Ant)
Aväk 0/1, Des. Ant 4/1000
Mammalian (Human)
Human 0/50
Morphis/Annelid (Marg)
Marg 0/100
This one stalled the deväk's excitement just a bit because there was a lot that it didn't understand, but it knew that three categories represented what it was, and what it had eaten as a larva. It was also rather let down at the amount it needed to eat before it wasn't in trouble of expiring anymore. The deväk didn't know what numbers were, but it understood 100 to be a lot and 1000 to be a lot of lots.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Congratulations, combat level increases to 2. Attributes increase; Agi +2, Dex +2, Per +1.
Not understanding pretty much anything that prompt had relayed, our bug was stumped. Its body didn't change in any significant way at all. On a fundamental level attributes were just a type of energy that could enhance the user beyond physical means, while changing nothing about the user. These attributes could make up for a weakness in one's physical stature. So our little bug twisted and mangled as it was almost constantly using all of its attributes to keep going. Almost all living things had at least ten percent in all physical modifiers, while our bug had next to nothing. Hell even ten percent wasn’t great, the average adult human had close to a fifty percent in at least a few modifiers. Ten percent was the bottom of the barrel.
The fledgling deväk sat in the grass digesting its food blissfully unaware of how bad the situation was, and wishing it had chased after the escapee. Just relaxing the bug suddenly noticed that there was a pulling in its head off in the direction that the ant fled in. Not realizing that this was a facet of its Ability Parasitical Growth the deväk tried to let the pulling sensation fade, but it was quite insistent. Finishing its mid morning meal, and without possessing the brain power to think of why this might be a bad idea it started walking in the direction of the pulling.
Following the pull for about thirty minutes, which for a creature just about four centimeters tall, wasn't as far as it sounds. Our young deväk came across a clearing a few meters wide that gives a very clear example of why these ants were called desecrators. The ground was black and dead looking, the trees bordering the clearing were sickly and dying, and what looked like the nest in the middle of the clearing was just a pile of assorted and decomposing meat. A line of ants the size of field mice were putting more meat on the pile in fist sized chunks, while flying variants with big stingers were guarding them and the rest of the clearing. The deväk processed this and came to the conclusion that its previous meal was just a light snack compared to the feast it was about to enjoy.
Putting no more thought into it than that, the intrepped deväk rushed into the clearing looking to sink its claws into something, and it found it almost immediately. A returning party of five scouts intercepted the deväk before it could make any real progress, delaying it and alerting the swarm to its presence. These scouts didn't make the mistake of trying to deluge the intruder with poison, since the queen ant had already warned all her soldiers of the threat should any stumble across it in the woods. They were informed that the small black beetle that walks on two legs should be avoided at all cost because it was a bane to their existence. Instead of running the scouts tried to use their disproportionate strength to hold it still so that a flier could deal with it. Unfortunately for the scouts that only made them slightly easier targets.
As the intruder was striking the third ant in the brain the flyers began to show up, two came in from behind and tried to lift the deväk off the ground. Only to find that it was much too heavy to fly with. The deväk's marg tendrils wrapped up each of the flyers and squeezed, and unsurprisingly the ants were crushed under the superior strength of the marg.It finished off the last two scouts holding it, raising its total kill count by seven in less than thirty seconds.
You see my dear friends, our deväk wasn't a perfect blend of its genetic parents, at least not yet. So its body had been altered very selectively, at random, which is what caused it such instabilities. The genes the marg had bestowed upon it were only applied to its tendrils. Making the ropes of nearly pure shapeshifter muscle almost as potent as the real thing. However, if the deväk was to survive it would need a more even blending, and a wider selection of genes. Deep in the very core of deväk some sleeping forgotten monster instinct cried out; Desiring to become the very apex of all life, to devour all and become a world eater.
It was this very instinct that the aväk had suppressed, believing they already reached the peak. But our bug would show them differently. Our bug, the mangled little fighter, would show everyone what it was to reach the apex. For now though, our bug still had an ant colony to destroy.
The near infant was usually potent in combat. The combination aväk, human, and marg began to develop a propensity for extreme violence. Plus the monster instincts of our deväk pressured our bug into taking no mercy, but not those of the aväk. No this time it was those of the marg. Margs loved combat almost as much as human flesh, and our bug took after them. Ripping, tearing, and eating its way through hundreds upon hundreds of desecrator ants, in the most brutal ways possible. It usually didn't even out right kill its opponents. Leaving them severely maimed, fully finishing off an opponent would take too much time. Instead it would just make sure that they wouldn't be able to get up again before moving on. Only letting the lucky ones die from their injuries, all the rest were left bleeding in the dirt. Everytime the deväk began to tire it would just consume the defeated closest to itself, due to its aväk metabolism and unstable condition, it could recoup its lost strength in under a minute with all the food around. It was also getting bigger, not much mind you, but the deväk was developing rather quickly.
After an hour of near senseless slaughter, the deväk began to have trouble. It had long ago disabled all the flyers and most of the scouts had fled to protect the queen and all that was left outside were the tank-like drones. All of which had extremely thick chitin, and were blocking entry into the hive. It needed some way to pierce the chitin, and since they had no eyes as far as the deväk could see, it was stumped. So it did what it was best at and began to feast hoping that it might get lucky. Hoping something like the pulling sensation that had brought it here, would happen again. It ate and ate, and ate some more, but this time the deväk remained stumped. It had just decided that it would wait out the drones when a message popped up.
Congratulations, combat level increased to 4. Attributes increased; Str +4, Dex +2, Per +1, End +7, and Con +4. Physical modifiers increased; Str +2.0%, Dex +0.8%, Mnt +0.9, End +8.7%, and Con +7.0%.
Our deväk still wasn't exactly sure what all that meant, but it felt good to level up and having more of something was a good thing, right? Well at least in its mind it was. So deciding to be pleased with this almost monster relished in it slightly increased strength. The slow growth that had begun slowly in battle suddenly exploded. Its stature increased to five centimeters. The chitin that covered our bug was ever so subtly shifting, and its limbs felt like they were constantly being stretched. Though with time the bones would catch up for right now it was uncomfortable. When the bug gained another centimeter or two gaps would begin to appear. This wasn't normal how it worked for bugs, but the deväk was different. Our little bugs chitin acted as an outer layer of skin instead of an exoskeleton. Unfortunately, even with its power up it still didn't think that it was strong enough to pierce those drones, but it did remember something.
Something that it hadn't ever tried before. Its Minor Shapeshift skill.
Since the level up, and the stretching had made more room in its stomach, our deväk ate. While snacking, the bug held out the tendril that had a hole in its mouth. It began to push and pull its flesh back together. At least it tried to, but shapeshifting was harder than one might think. Still eating the deväk closed its eyes and began to think about its tendril that was still whole, then it imagined the injured one being whole. Still nothing. So it tried to let its instincts guide it.
Its tendrils felt weirdly more distinct in its mind's eye, almost like every single cell could move individually. Trying to spread them out, the flesh on its tendril suddenly began to writhe. Knitting its flesh back together the deväk tried to take it a step further and it imagined the teeth growing bigger, tougher and jutting out like a spiked ball. Which kind of worked, it had focused too much on the shape of the needle teeth, and instead of a multi-pointed ampendage of death, it was left with a fleshy tooth tip spear. Which really wasn't a bad thing at all, although my friends, because of this initial failure our bug would develop a lifelong love for spears.
Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself.
Our deväk finished his fourth meal of the morning and shifted the tendril that was a mouth into a second spear. It approached the nearest drone, a bit cautiously before plunging both of its makeshift spear points into the side of the drones head. Sinking in like a knife through butter, the Deväk almost jumped with glee, so happy that it could continue its slaughter. It methodically butchered all the drones, and even fended off a few scout patrols that were sent out in a vain attempt to stop it. It had long ago lost track of its total kills, but that really didn't matter to it all that much. All it really wanted to do was eat and fight, and these weaklings were perfect for it. That and gain levels.
For some odd reason the Deväk had a very strong urge to gain as many levels as possible. This was one of the few gifts that Leon had left the deväk, it was much like its Aväk instincts that told it to devour, and its marg craving for combat. Leon had given the Deväk a lust for leveling. Which is why it continued to storm the nest long after it was full.
Contrary to the mound of flesh on the outside, the actual nest went down instead of up. A few meters underground in fact, and fortunately for the stuffed Deväk it had two things going for it. Firstly its aväk heritage gave it excellent night vision, and secondly it only had to take a bite of each corpse in order for its ability to progress towards a thousand. Which meant that it didn't have to gorge itself trying to eat every scrape. However, as the bug forced itself to eat more and more something seemed to shift inside itself. It wasn’t that the bug gained anymore room, it was just that the uncomfortable tightness began to feel rather pleasant. Unfortunately, it was only at three hundred thirty seven, three lots and a bit, but it was nowhere near its goal when it stumbled upon the queen desecrator.
A combination of the thick plating of the drones, the buzzing wings of the flier and it was twice the size of a normal scout gave away this purple and black striped bug as the queen. it looked distinctly more humanoid than the rest of its kin, flying upright it looked like it had four arms and two legs each with three fingers or toes. Kind of like if you took a pixie and gave it the shell of an insect. The deväk leveled its spear-tendrils at the queen, expecting a quick fight; it rushed in only to find that it missed the queen completely, and the queen had kicked it across the face. Not wanting to be crushed to death the queen flew out of reach, the kick didn't really do anything to the deväk besides pissing it off a bit. The queen didn't have a chance of beating this monster since it was immune to its greatest weapon, and it wasn't nearly strong enough to do any actual damage. So the best she could hope for was to piss off the deväk until it got tired and left.
Our young deväk however, wasn't getting as enraged as the queen would have liked. No my dear friends, after the initial anger from the first kick our young deväk was actually beginning to enjoy itself, because it finally had a challenge. Something that wouldn't crumble before it like a sand castle to the deväk's wave. So our deväk kept attacking, undeterred trying to pull the queen out of the air. Slowly it began to dodge the kicks, and notice the queen had a peculiar habit. No matter where it moved the queen always tried to stay between the deväk and the far wall.
Not fearing the slippery queen, the deväk rushed the far wall, and the queen reacted. An odd screeching rang out in the deväk's head, but sometimes having a less than stellar mental capacity was useful, and the psychic attack was shrugged off. Without knowing what else to do the queen rushed to pull the deväk out of the way or get in front of it. Unfortunately for the queen, this is exactly what the said deväk wanted and it proceeded to stab the queen repeatedly in the chest, while ripping one of her wings off with its arms. Panicking in its death throes the queen acted off instinct and used the primary weapon of desecrator ants. Spitting up corrosive poison all over the deväk the queen expired, and the deväk was thrust into blinding agony.