Day 9

When Ego died, Joe’s vision of the event vanished in an instant. He found himself back in his little room of stone and tunnels.

Ego hovered one meter in front of him. After a moment of confusion, surely from being brought back from the dead, he said, “The deepest apologies great ord!”

Joe knew where this conversation was going. “Please, no spins.”

He was too late.

“One thousand spins!” Ego shouted. “And, one thousand ceiling touches.”

A ceiling touch was a new type of punishment Ego had devised, out of his own free will. A ceiling touch began at the ground, where Ego would fly up to the ceiling, and then back to the ground, in a straight line.

“Noooo,” Joe said, but Ego had become a blur.

At least the enemies were dead. He was sure that even after Ego’s death the ants had cleaned up the rest of the enemies. The ferrets hadn’t seemed like hard enemies to beat. With no intelligent creature’s left, there would be nobody who could report anything, meaning the location of his core would be kept secret.

He wanted it to stay that way as long as possible. The death of those units had surely been noted by whatever core they were attached to, and it would probably send out some sort of scouts very soon.

He still felt the ants, like strands attached to him. There were only eight remaining, and the jawed ant, which had somehow survived the ordeal. But, he couldn’t connect visually to them like he could Ego. He thought he’d give them a moment to clean up the sight before recalling them.

He analyzed the events that had just occurred. Those feline creatures, surely a part of the beast faction, had carried a scary amount of intelligence. They were also not as numerous as his insect, which could mean that they cost more to prepare.

Also, his ants carried their weapons and pickaxes at the same time. The feline creature’s did not have that advantage. Catching them at a surprise allowed the fight to swing heavily in their favor. If those feline creature’s had properly been prepared, with weapons and armor, he doubted it would have gone as smoothly.

You can return now, he thought at his insects. A pulse of energy left him, and he hoped that it was the order being given.

Two ants had died so created two new ones. He realized just how cheap they were now, only costing six truemass. Immediately, he sent them to start mining. The more insects gaining him truemass, the better.

He had space for twenty more units, but held off for the time being. First he’d spend his truemass, and after that, he’d figure out what insects to purchase.

Another large deficit to insects that he’d realized were that the combat oriented insects, could only do that. Mining oriented insects were also stuck only mining. Ants of both of these traits, making them ideal starting soldiers. For the beasts any unit could become a miner if they could hold a pickaxe.

He turned his attention to the firebug situation. Either combat or being close to death, had been the catalyst that allowed them to breed. He hoped it was combat, as that would be cheaper than constantly having to heal his firebugs. Although the other insects hadn't needed that, it seemed the firebugs did.

He easily spawned twenty ladybugs. Just a couple of days ago he’d never thought of doing it so casually, but twenty truemass had quickly become cheap. He told the firebugs to eat these ladybugs. Since they were connected to a larger system, he didn’t need to fear heat as much anymore.

The firebugs quickly turned aflame, roasting and devouring the ladybugs that fearlessly rushed right into their doom. Insects didn’t fear death like humans did, and that was serving him well for the time being.

All of the four firebugs had gotten technically gotten to fight, although it had been a pretty easy fight.

Let’s see if they produce any good offspring.

It felt rather harsh to put it like that, but that was the situation he had been put under. Fortunately, insects didn’t have feelings, or else he’d have to be glad he only thought it, rather than said it.

With 306 truemass remaining, he wondered about how he might improve his operations. He really wanted to make something useful of his ladybugs, as he liked the idea of having a super-cheap unit that was also useful. He wanted to make them the forest devouring creature’s they had been.

As he was analyzing all of the upgrades possible for ladybugs, he found one that looked very peculiar. [Cannibalism]. It would allow the ladybugs to eat each other whenever they felt like it. Everybody knows nothings as filling as a little bit of cannibalism.

He wondered why this was listed as an upgrade, and what uses it might have, when Joe remembered something about the system. If one of his units, were to kill another mining unit, then all of the unit without a core would have all of their truemass turned directly into evolutionary essence.

Right! That must be what the second detriment for the [Breedable] perk is. They need to gain evolutionary essence, which I guess can also be gained through mining, although it must be at a much lower rate as I haven’t seen any evolutions happening.

This shift from truemass into evolutionary essence must go both ways, because he could remember the jawed ant evolving after eating only a couple of ladybugs. Essentially, he could make evolutions within ladybugs become much more prominent.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

And it also wouldn’t lose him any truemass, as if his own units ate each other, then the truemass would be conveyed, and not turned into evolutionary essence. All in all, it seemed like a pretty good strategy.

But pretty good is not enough.

He looked for more perks which might synergize well with this perk. Wading through many different options, which were good for other strategize, but not game breaking, he finally found one.

[Unchained]. The perk allowed the ladybug to gain mutations that would otherwise be locked. In other words, it could gain extremely beneficial mutations, or mutations that wouldn’t be beneficial at all. However, with the cannibalism quirk, if a ladybug gained a useless quirk, it would quickly be eaten.

He purchased the [Cannibalism] for 50 truemass, but when he looked at the price for [Unchained] he saw that it had risen to 200 truemass. It seems like I can’t just load ladybugs with all of the perks.

He gritted his teeth, and purchased the [Unchained]. It’s going to pay me back. The assurance did little to fill the gaping hole he felt inside of his stomach. Spending truemass sucked, but there would be no gaining without spending.

He purchased 22 new ladybugs, and send them to the spot he’d designated as the ladybug mining section. Whilst this action filled up the amount of units he had, he had a feeling most of them would die, and hopefully give him some sort of super ladybug.

The eight ants returned, as well as the jawed ant. In total it cost him 20 truemass to patch them up. The jawed ant eagerly flew back to its spot above him. All in all, he was down to fourteen truemass.

Whilst he still wanted to retain some amount of truemass inside of him, he knew that none of it would matter if he couldn’t build his army quickly enough. He needed to take risks if he was going to beat those feline creatures.

Day 10

“Cease criminal! Who said you were allowed to enter the great ones domain?” Ego said before the large cloaked creature’s palms jerked to his location and snuffed him out. The jawed ant looked at the creature, and it seemed some sort of instinct told it to stay back. Traitorous bastard.

The creature appeared quickly, sprinting into the room before halting to a freeze. One second, Joe didn’t know anything about it, the next it was two meters away from him, without a doubt capable of destroying him.

Above the creature’s jaw, where two large teeth shot out, ice cold eyes stared right at me. It had orcish features, a thick nose, and green skin. Also, the creature barely fit in the room, having to bend slightly. A heavy black cloak surrounded its body.

Enemy has been located within your base of operations.

All spending of truemass have halted until the enemy has been removed.

Shit.

Joe thought about directing the rest of his units to attack whatever this was, but he doubted they’d do much. He hoped with everything inside him the creature carried intentions that didn’t include killing him. He couldn’t do much more.

“Listen new-born core,” the creature said, words filled with disgust. “You are within the true great ones domain! This is not a lawless area where you can go around attacking whomever you please. If you wish to remain alive, you must accept his conditions, and obey his orders fully.”

Uxyx the great core of the beast has offered you a decree.

A tax collecting structure will be built within your base of operations taking 50% of all your earned truemass. You can not destroy or empty this structure without breaking the decree.

A structure allowing Uxyx to see the location of all of your units will be built within your base of operations. Destroying this structure will lead to breaking the decree.

A structure allowing Uxyx to see the amount of units you cary will be built within your base of operations.You are not allowed to destroy this structure without breaking the decree.

You are not allowed to hold more than 100 units without breaking the decree.

You are not allowed to attack any other cores. If evidence of this is brought to Uxyx, the decree will be broken.

Any orders given by Uxyx must be adhered to. You are not allowed to refuse Uxyx without breaking the decree.

Any unit Uxyx deems as too dangerous must be killed, or the decree will be broken.

You may not produce or possess an elite without breaking the decree,

Your core may not evolve past D rank without breaking the decree.

If the decree is broken, Uxyx will declare war on you.

Do you accept?

[Yes] [No]

This is making death look like a pretty good offer.

“What’s taking you so long?” Uxyx’s unit spat. Joe did not fail to notice that he also approached a little bit closer. “Do not be fooled by the system, disgusting pitiful core, you do not have an option in the matter.”

You have accepted Uxyx’s decree.

“Thank Uxyx for bestowing you with this chance and his time. You disgusting freak do not deserve his kindness… What are you waiting for?” He said, taking another step towards me.

“I accepted your decree, now will you?,” Joe said. His hand approached Joe’s core, and he gripped the top and put some pressure on it. Once again, Joe felt pain. Inside, he shrieked.

“Thank Uxyx,” he said.

“Thank you Uxyx,” Joe said, and the creature grunted and only released the grip after a couple long moments, letting Joe suffer.

“Good, and if I ever hear that disgusting little wisp call you great one again I’ll crush you. Matter of fact, I so much as see it again and your done for.”

“Alright,” Joe said, trying his best not to let his anger creep into his voice. “Anything else?”

“Silence,” the creature said, as a blue energy leapt out of him and onto his floor. Three structures appeared, the ones the decree had listed. They looked tiny and innocent, but they were the filthiest thing Joe had seen since he’d come here.

The creature snorted, and walked out of his room, after some time, when it was certain that the unit had gone, Ego popped up again.

“Great one, I beg off you, please allow me to be the one to slay that disgusting creature.”

“With pleasure,” Joe said, his mind racing for loopholes in the decree.