Congratulations you are now eligible to advance your race, please select your sub-species.
Dolichovespula Maculata Sapiens ((Yellowjacket) Blackjacket Humanoid)
Skills: Venom-arbalist (Rare), Carnivorous (common) -> Omnivorous (uncommon)
New Mutation Paths: Venom Sprayer (Rare), Enmity Pheromones (uncommon)
Dolichovespula Sylvestris Sapiens ((Yellowjacket) Tree Wasp)
Skills: Hivemaker (uncommon) -> Advanced Hivemaker (rare), Carnivorous (common) -> Omnivorous (uncommon)
New Mutation Paths: Driller Stinger (Rare), Swarm Pheromones (common)
Dolichovespula Saxonica Sapiens ((Yellowjacket) Saxon Wasp)
Skills: Killer Instinct (Rare), Carnivorous (common) -> Omnivorous (uncommon)
New Mutation Paths: Necrotic Stinger (Rare), Rage Pheromones (uncommon)
Looking over my options I scanned their differences. They all upgraded me from being only a carnivore to an omnivore. Each of them had another rare skill they granted me as well as two mutation paths. Each one had another mutation path for my stinger and some type of pheromone. Apparently, I would have unlocked pheromones either way but this way I’d gained two separate paths I could go down.
I had no idea what the different pheromones did, so they didn’t factor into my decision. That left the skill given and the stinger mutation paths as the deciding factors. I didn’t like the upgrades for tree wasp, it seemed to push me some sort of builder path. The Saxon wasp was more interesting and seemed to focus on combat much more with a more deadly stinger. However, it was the first option that had caught my attention, Venom Sprayer and Venom-arbalist both implied a ranged attack. With my lack of wings right now I needed every advantage I could get, and a ranged attack was something I lacked and could let me pick off targets before they could even threaten me.
Ultimately all my options were a gamble. I picked the option for Blackjacket. My mind went still, and my vision darkened. I couldn’t close my eyes since I didn’t have eyelids. I just entered a dreamless sleep as my body underwent its metamorphosis.
My eyes snapped open. I looked around. The sun had moved its position from just setting to having just risen. There were still ants along the shore of the puddle although far fewer than there had been last night. Apparently, their colony couldn’t waist resources forever just trying to hunt me. I looked down at my body to see what had changed. My carapace had changed from striped yellow and black to mostly black with a few white stripes. My shape and size hadn’t changed much so I had to guess most of the changes were internal.
Congratulations! You have passed from the hatchling stage to young-adult!
What? I’d been a hatchling this entire time! The system had just shoved a hatchling out into the world with no backup and just expected me to not only survive but save an entire extinct species?
I guess to be fair I’d done the first part so far if with some injury to myself. Still, I was all by myself and apparently barely older than a toddler in the eyes of the system. I suddenly felt very lonely. I couldn’t remember the family I’d had before but I was suddenly very conscious that I didn’t have one now. I pushed the depressing thought to the back of my head. I would find other members of my species, I told myself. For now, I had to survive until my wings regrew and I could go out and find them.
Pulling up my new skills and mutation paths I looked them over to see what my changes were.
Omnivorous (uncommon) (Level 2): A mature wasp you are now capable of digesting all food sources.
Eating food sources recovers health at a rate of 8 hit points per minute minimum on a full stomach, healing increased base on energy density of food. Recovery increased by 1 for every skill level. This ability benefits from Toughness.
Venom-arbalist (Rare) (Level 1): Knowledge from your ancestry on how to fight with your Venom-sprayer fills you.
Increases your accuracy by .5% and your range by .5ft per skill level. Benefits from Dexterity
Venom-sprayer (Rare): The chosen weapon of the Blackjacket, capable of spraying its deadly poison out at enemies at range allowing for deadly aerial bombardments by their hive’s swarms.
Range 27ft, Base Chance to hit 52% at max range (increases in proportion to how close you are to target). Damage determined by Venom Sack. Range and Accuracy increased with the Venom-arbalist Skill. Benefits from Dexterity.
Enmity Pheromones (uncommon): Your pheromones induce a rage state in you and other allied wasps within 30ft of you, reduces all feelings of pain and increases your damage by 1, costs 1 focus per 5 seconds of use.
Damage and range is increased by the Social Skill. Benefits from Charisma.
I could use every skill and mutation path I had. Even Enmity Pheromones could be used but I suspected it wouldn’t level up until their were other wasps around to use it on besides myself.
What I needed was experience and biomass, I needed to find some creatures in ready number to grind my skills on. Hopefully a species that didn’t have a massive colony with high level members that would come out to seek revenge if I killed some of their members. For now, I had to escape this pond and sneak past the ants on guard for me.
First, I needed to spend all the biomass I could. If I did get into a fight with the ants I wanted to be as prepared to face them as I could. I pulled up the biomass menu and selected Venom Sack. My new mutation path revolved around me shooting poison, so I needed to upgrade the poison I shot.
Agonizing Venom Sack: You poison causes incredible pain that can incapacitate your targets. Cost: 5 biomass.
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Compressed Venom Sack: Your poison compresses the liquid inside, doubling the number of available charges. Cost: 5 biomass.
Necrotic Venom Sack: Your poison causes additional necrotic damage. Cost: 5 biomass.
Before my race upgrade I would have chosen necrotic poison for the extra damage but since my subrace revolved around shooting my venom out I needed Compressed Venom Sack. Having a ranged weapon wouldn’t do me any good if I didn’t have enough ammo for it. When I selected it there was a searing pain in my chest above my heart. It went on for about ten minutes before ending.
Compressed Venom Sack (Rare): The deadly fuel of a hunter’s attack, can be used for massive damage, debuffs and other effects, you have specialized in the quantity of available poison.
Poison deals 5-23 damage per second for 5.5 second. The sack has 12 charges, regaining 3 charges every 5 minutes. Damage, charges and regen rate are increased with Toughness the Poisoner Skill.
Twelve shots weren’t much but it was better than six. Hopefully with more charges to do poison damage I could level up my poisoner skill faster to get even more charges and increase the regeneration rate for my Venom Sack. Since I was level five now, I could upgrade all my abilities twice instead of just once. I was going to upgrade Venom Sack again since it affected my two primary methods of doing damage.
Pressurized: Your venom sack increases the pressure it can exert, doubling the range for your Venom-sprayer and allowing you to inflict multiple doses of poison at a time when injecting with your stinger. Cost: 15 biomass.
Enlarged: Your venom sack increases in size doubling your number of charges. Cost: 15 biomass.
Twin Sacks: Your venom sack splits in two, the amount of poison remains the same but the regen rate is doubled. Cost: 15 biomass.
This choice was more difficult, all of them would benefit my fighting style in some way. However, if I were to focus more on my ranged attacks which I felt I would have to in order to survive the next five days I’d need to focus on keeping my distance. With that in mind I chose Pressurized. The pain above my heart returned and lasted for around fifteen minutes this time. I barely held onto consciousness this time but managed through sheer will.
Pressurized Compressed Venom Sack (Rare): The deadly fuel of a hunter’s attack, can be used for massive damage, debuffs and other effects, you have specialized in the quantity of available poison.
Doubles the range for your Venom Sprayer. Poison deals 5-23 damage per second for 5.5 second. The sack has 12 charges, regaining 3 charges every 5 minutes. Damage, charges and regen rate are increased with Toughness the Poisoner Skill.
You cannot upgrade this mutation path again until Level 15.
I’d hoped my next upgrade would be at level ten but apparently there was a lot bigger jumps in-between ranks then what I had guessed at. I could upgrade my stinger and armor again. I hadn’t upgraded most of my mutation paths, but I needed to focus on the ones directly applicable to combat first. I hadn’t touched Venom Sprayer yet. Pulling up that mutation path I looked over the options.
Rifling: Your venom is concentrated into a narrow stream greatly increasing its accuracy. Cost: 5 biomass.
Spread: Your range is halved but you attack in a wide spray that effects multiple targets at a time. Cost: 5 biomass.
Blob: Your poison splashes out dealing damage in a small radius. Cost: 5 biomass.
I had to specialize in either multiple targets or single targets. Thinking it over I selected rifling. It would increase my chance of actually hitting my targets and wouldn’t affect my range. Not everything I went up against would be in large groups and accuracy was more versatile than crowd control.
Rifled Venom-sprayer (Rare): The chosen weapon of the Blackjacket, capable of spraying its deadly poison out at enemies at range allowing for deadly aerial bombardments by their hive’s swarms, you have specialized into accuracy.
Range 27ft, Base Chance to hit 72% at max range (increases in proportion to how close you are to target). Target has a -25% to dodge your attack. Damage determined by Venom Sack. Range and Accuracy increased with the Venom-arbalist Skill. Benefits from Dexterity.
I could upgrade it again and was curious to see what the accuracy tree of this mutation would provide me.
Smooth Nozzle: The tip of your stinger is smoothed to prevent any drip or spray, so all venom is used in the shot. Cost: 15 biomass.
Split Nozzle: The tip of your stinger is divided so your venom splits into two shots each dealing half damage but increasing your chance at least one shot will hit. Cost: 15 biomass.
Narrow Nozzle: The tip of your stinger is thinned so your venom comes out thread thin making it harder to see and dodge. Cost: 15 biomass.
Looking over my options I picked the third. The first didn’t seem like that big an issue to have and the second wasn’t what I was going for. I was looking to be able to take down my targets with one shot hopefully not pepper them with a series of shots. There was more burning in my stinger focused towards its tip as the mutation took effect. It lasted only for a minute the changes made very small.
Rifled Venom-sprayer (Rare): The chosen weapon of the Blackjacket, capable of spraying its deadly poison out at enemies at range allowing for deadly aerial bombardments by their hive’s swarms, you have specialized into accuracy.
Range 27ft, Base Chance to hit 72% at max range (increases in proportion to how close you are to target). Target has a -25% to dodge your attack. Damage determined by Venom Sack. Range and Accuracy increased with the Venom-arbalist Skill. Benefits from Dexterity.
There was no name change this time just an alteration to weapon’s description. I still had forty-five biomass left to spend. I pulled up the mutation path for my carapace.
Spiked Carapace: Your carapace grows spikes all over dealing piercing damage when you come in contact with another creature. Cost: 15 biomass.
Spartan Carapace: Increases the damage reduction for your carapace when taking physical damage. Cost 15 biomass.
Angular Carapace: Chance to deflect moderate strike when hit and take no damage. Cost 15 biomass.
I picked Spartan Carapace. More armor equaled more better in my opinion. Spikes could get caught on things or damage my own allies and a chance to avoid hits wasn’t good as guaranteed damage reduction.
Spartan Carapace (Common): The armor of an elite warrior of the hive designed to offer no impediment to movement and motion while providing maximum protection.
Reduces physical damage taken by 12-22. Damage reduction is increased with Toughness and the Armored Defense Skill.
That upgrade had practically doubled my damage mitigation. With that done I just needed to upgrade my stinger. Opening the menu, I brought up my options.
Needle-tipped: Your stinger can pass farther into your target to deliver you poison to more vital areas. Cost: 15 biomass.
Broadhead: Your stinger creates larger wounds on your target doing more physical damage. Cost: 15 biomass.
Diamond-tipped: Your stinger’s armor piercing properties are further enhanced. Cost: 15 biomass.
Looking my options over I was most attracted by the first and second. The first would let me do more poison damage while the last would let me bypass even more damage reduction. Doing more poison damage was good but my Venom Sprayer focused on that, and I didn’t want to specialize to heavily into only one form of damage. If I encountered a creature resistant to poison, I’d be screwed if that was the only thing I was good at. Picking Diamond-tipped my stinger burned as the biomass was extracted to enhance it.
Diamond-tipped Puncturing Stinger (Rare): The chosen weapon of the wasp, sharp and lethal and capable of delivering lethal loads of poison. Yours is specially designed for bypassing a creature’s carapace.
Deals 5-13 piercing damage plus poison damage if added. Your attacks ignore up to 8-16 of a creatures Damage Resistance. Damage and DR bypassing is increased by Dexterity and Brawn and the Stinger-fighter Skill.
I stood up, I still had thirty biomass left but I would save it for now. I needed to test my current upgrades before deciding on my full build. My first step would be to sneak past the encirclement of ants and find a better hunting ground. Diving into the water I started swimming to shore.