“Your feathers are insane. I can’t even think of an analogy for how crazy they are,” he can’t help but whisper with awe. Regardless of how he feels personally, while riding Thing’s and Gnat’s perceptions as deeply as he is, their appreciation for the grandeur of his Patron washes over his own grudging respect for power and diligence.

The tone that comes from him is different this time, the pride not of looking down at an inferior, but rather the sharing of one’s passion, “{A suit of armor being tempered and shaped while still in the forge. Weapons being sharpened and enchanted while still blazing with oils. All the better for the smith to see any imperfections to curate and repair.}”

He rises out of the water as the scions and the other mobs back away. The heat pouring off him vaporizing the small bits of water wasn’t shaken off in moments. He stands there, observed by Gnat and her swarm at an intolerable distance when his posture changes into something more aggressive. Now, despite how little effect she could have, she still finds herself on the opposite side of her opponent, with the dungeon heart between them, and a gulf of heat too intense to endure keeping her away.

“{You asked why I permit your presence in my lair? It is simple. In these short months since your arrival, I have made more progress along my evolution’s path than I had in the years prior. There is just something about your existence that sharpens my focus and efforts.}” Throughout his movements and speech, Thing has kept to their singular focus. Even as the heat rises beyond the mere cloak of flame from prior visits, all their attention is on ensuring that as much of their contamination remains and continues circulating.

There is a deafening clash, like a giant striking a mountainous anvil, as all the heat in the area is withdrawn back into the phoenix as they sheath their wings with a flicker of motion. The bright reds and oranges and yellows of his feathers seem to be pushed out to the tips as greys and black soak through his plumage. His head does a slow pass over his altered form before it snaps attention first to the dungeon’s heart, but then directed at Gnat as she has rushed towards him with the absence of the melting heat.

“[You would do well to continue advancing. Should you fail to prove worthwhile entertainment or a means to continue my own growth? Well… you’ve already met the threshold to fulfill the initial contract. Your continued welcome is extended by my grace and no longer a duty I must fulfill.]” The sparks and pops of flame in their voice now more akin to the clinks of worked metal and the whoosh of a bellows stoking a grand forge.

“[Until next time, little dungeon. Thing,]” he nods to each of us in turn, and as he opens his wings, there is the ominous sound of blades sliding across one another, echoing a hundred-fold. With one final nod he departs, “[Gnat,]” and with a flap and leap that indents the ground he is airborne, though menacingly silent. Only further intoning the potential threat he represents if every scrape and snick of violent noise was intentional.

Whatever thoughts he might wish to speak into the silence and isolation of the clearing of interrupted by an intense deluge of triumph from Thing. So focused was he upon his Patron and their words that Thing’s perspective slipped out of his mind. Shifting more to seeing through their eyes, he’s stunned. While the connection beyond the domain isn’t allowing Thing to continue to apply their will to adjusting the strains, they can both clearly feel Aurora Hephaestus soaring through the skies.

“You’re Amazing, Thing! Congratulations! As soon as Cutest wakes up, let’s all celebrate together.”

He sinks into the joy that Thing marinates in, letting it suffuse him while Gnat is filled with determination and drive. She buzzes around for a little bit before seeming to find what she was looking for and flies off. The first-person high-fidelity stream navigating through a less distinct wider view open world is fascinating until a thought snags his consciousness.

As Gnat continues her merry way through the woods, he speaks to his scions once more, “He said my arrival was months ago. What did he mean by that? It’s only been like, a few days, maybe a week or two… right?” Thing hears the question but doesn’t really understand it. They don’t really measure time, they measure moments. Being born, burning to death, being reborn, burning to death and being eaten, being reborn, getting that first infection on the fire bird, converting Cutest before she was Cutest, and just now getting a major success on the forge bird.

Gnat’s thought process is a bit more nuanced. She stays focused on her goal but has a better understanding of time. The instincts from her bodies keep track of day and night well enough, and her expanded self as a scion even more so. She sends that she does not know exactly how long he was here before her creation, but yes, months have likely passed since he spawned.

“But… how can that be? It doesn’t feel like much time has passed at all.”

Timeless Perspective: Sanity Perk. Experience life through your {Mobs}.

The popup from the system is damning evidence. He tries to engage himself more with what’s going on through his scions but finds that even that moment of inattention has led right up to Gnat now engaging in glorious combat. There’s a bird that’s trying to eat her, but rather than just stabbing it, draining it, and drowning it in her swarm, she’s fencing against it. Flitting away at just the right moment to avoid a dive, parrying its beak with her proboscis. All the while hampering its vision and movement with a veritable cloud of gnats thickening at just the right time.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Though, unlike when the fleas were being eaten in mass, these gnats don’t seem to be strengthening nor rejuvenating their slayer. With his focus on the fight so strong, it allows Gnat a moment to explain, sending the concept of purpose. The fleas being devoured, and being the threat in return was their challenge, their purpose, so anything that overcame them was made stronger. She, however, is a Sparkling Scion, the challenge and reward is defeating her, not her swarm, and especially not the sacrificial swarm that won’t survive the day.

Even with complete focus on the battle, he still can’t be sure how long it took in the end. Eventually, Gnat fatigued her opponent and sprang her counter. Unlike some other birds, where she seemed content to let them catch her so she could deliver a lethal riposte, she’s respectful of this one. Even during her attack, she was careful to avoid being pecked or bitten. After a few crazed moments on the bucking bird, exhaustion, alongside some carefully controlled blood loss and infection, the bird falls to the ground.

Being very careful with her prize, the swarm of gnats disperses, forming a larger perimeter once more as she starts the arduous journey back with her baggage in tow.

“Why that bird in particular?”

Her attention no longer needing to be as sharp, she takes her time properly structuring her answer. Telling him that she conversed with his Patron about things they could do to be a resource he’d want to maintain and invest more in. Which eventually led to the topic of food. As flying heat, he greatly enjoys snacking on frosty chirps like the one she’s captured.

So, he issued her a quest which included the location of some of the few remaining birds in the area. His attention to the dungeon has led to him overhunting this section a bit. She expects that if Thing works together with her to care for this one long enough to Assimilate Territory on it and get its pattern. Then the dungeon should be able to spawn in some of Aurora Hephaestus’s favored prey.

New Creature {Brood Mouse} added to Template Library.

The sudden influx of thought and emotion is overwhelming for the first few moments. By the time Cutest manages to dig herself out of her too-small burrow, the dungeon is back in control of himself again. Her first and second task already completing, that of leaving her burrow and to start spawning in some pups to clean her coat from the dirt. He takes another moment to just bask in how perfect her name is before sending her on her first real mission: to help Gnat with carrying her bird back home. That way they can all figure out some way to keep it alive until Thing manages to convert it.

Her delight at being useful a wonderful distraction from his darker contemplations of his Patron’s ultimatum. Also, being able to watch how the world flies by as she scurries through the forest, also with more eyes opening from new little pups crawl out onto her back. The older ones continue to grow until they too can run alongside her rather than be carried. Cutest just building her namesake as a rippling wave in the grasses, even as the clarity of their location continues to sharpen compared to his prior senses there.

One particularly strange observation that came about by chance, is when he notices that the pups don’t have any sexual characteristics, while Cutest most definitely does. She explains that her pups are just a swarm of dungeon mobs, rather than being real creatures. If they accrue enough experience and mana individually, they might be able to develop them, but otherwise they are sexless.

Her more sophisticated mind is better able to translate some of the earlier instructions he had received about dungeons and domains. Lesser creatures will just die off without the domain allowing them to tap into enough of the mana of the world to sustain themselves. Until they develop enough to convert the raw Mana into Mako themselves, they’ll suffocate or starve rather quickly.

However, a more complex biologically complete creature doesn’t need as much Mana to sustain themselves if they can get enough food to compensate for the lack. So, one way that dungeon expansion is curtailed, is by limiting reproduction outside of its influence. More mobs can be spawned within and set out on expeditions, but the conversion and attrition rates are extremely poor. In addition, there is another layer of difficulty that trying to reclaim untethered mobs that wander back inside presents.

All told, Cutest says that the mice with her aren’t her actual children, they’re just tools for her. She’s also a bit disappointed that she can’t experience their senses like Gnat can for her own swarm. She knows where they are, and their general mood and number, but she doesn’t get to see through their eyes and can only send basic orders through to them.

He doesn’t notice his attention becoming unmoored once again as his thoughts drift to more esoteric things. Because after the mapping of his first scions to his hands, the feelings of more articulation and strength being assimilated by each of them now incorporates a full arm. They’ve left his poor human sensibilities in a conundrum. As detached as he’s become from his non-existent flesh, whatever muscle memory still present doesn’t understand just making another hand for Cutest.

As he dives through his Guided Evolution to poke around at the mouse and brood mouse strains, he tries to imagine what sort of musculature would best suit the development of his newest family member. The legs and glutes have tones of power available to them, but while the associated connections to movement would likely be useful, it seems underwhelming.

Also, if Gnat and Thing manage their next project, a flying scion having that sort of maneuverability and potential feels like a better fit. Plus, betting against family seems like it would be in poor taste. In the end, he makes the decision to tie the three together more intimately. Assigning his upper back, chest, and shoulders to Cutest. She already seems happy to work together with his other two scions, and she also has more fighting prowess than them both. So, giving them a close working relationship just makes sense.

This time, he feels a strange rippling sensation as he finalizes his decision. That phantom sensation of his hands feeling themselves and each other on occasion while otherwise being bathed in a void of sensation is washed away for a moment. He touches his body once more, or rather, he imagines holding himself. Hands sliding against skin while muscles flex and cord beneath, just feeling alive.