Pheromone Communication
Description: This ability allows communication by utilizing pheromones.
Active Ongoing: 20 Stamina, Locks 5% of Stamina while in use.
Wait. My new skill was… different from how it had been listed in the Skill Shop. What happened here? Why? I began searching around. Had I missed something? Let's open up the Shop. Maybe…
Notification
Patch v. Ξ71.69a
Skill Shop under review for improper implementation.
Due to a mathematical translation error, Skills were improperly labeled with the incorrect costs. Your Skills have been updated. Skill Trees are currently being reviewed to make sure that the proper Mana and Stamina costs are in place. 5 Stat Points have been allocated to you for the inconvenience.
Growth - Level 2 - Active Ongoing: 5 Stamina. Locks 15% Stamina while in use.
Photosynthesis - Level 2 - Inherent: Restores 1 Mana and Stamina per minute while in direct sunlight and low light conditions.
Nutrient Absorption - Level 1 - Inherent: Restores 1 HP per hour
Pheromone Manipulation - Level 1 - Active: 10 Stamina per use. If Pheromone Communication is in use, Lock out 10% Stamina instead.
Poison Production - Level 1 - Active: 20 Stamina
Illusions - Active Ongoing: 20 Mana. Locks 15% of Mana while in use.
Pheromone Communication - Active Ongoing: 20 Stamina. Locks 5% of Stamina while in use.
This is… I don't. Why did it have to be math? Well, the Stat Points are nice. Let's see… I pulled up the stat section of me screen. I've put 5 in Health and 5 in Stamina so far. That raised my Health from 15 to 16 points. My Mana went from 26 to 27 points. So stands to reason that means that 5 Stat Points are needed to raise each stat by 1. So, I like even numbers. Let's raise my Stamina from 59 to 60. All points in!
With a thought I pumped all 5 Stat Points into my Stamina and watched with growing confusion as my Stamina rose from 59 to… 62? 62? Why 62? It rose three points? But my nise even number. Ugh. Okay, well its good to have a higher one. Especially since it looks like 2 of my skills now lock out 5% and 15% of my Stamina? That's… carry… times? Uh, I know there is a way to figure this out. But, uh, this will just be easier.
I activated my Growth.
Stamina: 47/52(62)
That's new. I like it though. I should be able to keep things like my Growth going on all day now, actually. Oh wow. I don't have to cycle anymore. The thought hit me and it felt like a huge weight was lifted from my leaves. I don't have to cycle anymore. I can just grow and be. I can be a proper plant now.
I sat there, letting my perception spread out over my area. Imaging if flourishing with my leaves and eventual flowers. I watched as the Eldritch ants diligently worked on their hill. Hill? That is not a hill.
My focus zoomed in to the 'hill' and I took a proper look. How did I not notice this? The 'hill' looked more like a ziggurat or pyramid. It had four sides that were made out of steps. Each one was about half one of my leaves in height and width. It went up four steps before leveling out at the top. A ramp went down the middle of each side of the little pyramid. On top, in the center of the flat space was a square hole that led into the depths.
Then, built over top of that, was a little pergola. That's right, I might not know math, but I know fancy words. Basically, it was a little roof held up by four columns or posts, one at each corner. With a thought I tried peering into the opening and only got just a little ways down before everything went… fuzzy.
Oh, right! My new skill!
Stamina: 24/49(62)
Keeps the gap. Okay, either way… I could feel something kinda… pump through my limps and to my leaves. Like the sensation of drinking water on an empty stomach. I think I've used that analogy before… Pheromones began to waft from my leaves and diffuse out into the air.
"Hello? Eldritch… queen… ant? Can you understand me?"
One of the ants, the one closest to me stopped what it was doing. It's antennae waving in the air as it 'listened' to the pheromones. After a few moments it, and a small collection of others scuttled over to me. "Hello? Tree? Did you gain a new skill?"
"Yes, yes, I did. I just unlocked Pheromone Communication. I figured, if we were going to be neighbors, it might be a good idea to be able to chat properly. Uh, my name is Cy. Short of Cyrus."
The ant seemed to consider things for a moment before it suddenly started communicating wildly. "Oh thank God! Finally! Someone to finally talk to! Ever since I was kidnapped and put into a bunch of ants, everything has been trying to eat me! I mean, I can talk to those ants that look like glass windows, but they're a bit simple. I don't know, their ants? They're smart, but more like dog smart than people smart. I know you must think this is weird. Talking about being kidnapped and turned into a hive of ants, but I don't care! I can finally talk to someone!"
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
"Uh… huh?" My mind reeled at the onslaught of scents. It was all so much more complex to understand than what I was able to get before. "Wait… did you say turned into a hive of ants? Did you also die?"
"Die? No. At least I don't think so. I hope not. Oh god, did I die?" The ants started to get worked up into a little frenzy stampede. Slowly they got themselves back under control. "I'm sorry. Even before getting Initiated, things were stressful. Finals were only two months away, and then the Initiation happened for this Beta Test thing and having to figure out how to be an ant of all things. So you died to get here?"
"I think so? I was hit with a car, and then I was in a white void. A whole bunch of tests. Then I was put in this plant, uh, a wisteria."
The ant did a little dance. "Oh! I wish I had been put into a plant. It must be so peaceful. I mean, being human would have been better. Ah, I haven't introduced myself yet. I'm Miryam."
I let out a pleased scent, watching as my Stamina dropped to 14. Let's fix that, yeah? I connected my Manipulation to my ongoing Communication.
Stamina: 18/43(62)
"Pleasure to meet you Miryam. So, you were human? A student. And now you are a hive of ants? Aren't ants colonies?"
Miryam shrugged, well, as much as an ant could shrug. "That's what my Race says. Ant Hive. But yeah, I was a student. University. I know I've pretty much just be kind of complaining so far, but honestly. This is so much less stressful then school. And I guess, I can focus on what I want to do, rather than try and get a head in life."
"There ya go! What is it you want to do?"
"Well. I like to garden, and I would really like to get a class or profession that would allow me to focus on that."
"Miryam, I think we are going to get along just fine."
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The next week went by fairly smoothly, if I do say so myself. Most of the time was spent chatting with Miryam. I had been tempted to use the time to just grow, but with Miryam setting up her hive, I had decided to hold off. If I could give her the time to get at least the foundations of it set up, then I could grow around it. We agreed that we could work on any future expansions together.
Miryam had actually been going to school for architecture while also preparing for law school. And taking basic courses to get ready for nursing school. Yeah, I'm pretty sure she died. How could she not with that kind of course load? From what I could understand, each of those things were either to make some family member happy, a requirement for getting her college paid for, and an attempt to make sure she would do well in life. I think she had either a heart attack or aneurism and just didn't notice with how stressed she had been.
She still gets stressed and worked up rather easily, though now that she has the time and luxury to do so, she manages to bring herself back down and plan things out.
Speaking of planning things out. Miryam definitely knew what she was talking about when it came to gardening. First of all, she brought in a bunch of dead and dried leaves. Her hive worked long and hard to mulch them and spread them out over my dirt patch. It wasn't much, from what she said there was another garden bed nearby with a lot of dead plants. Most of their leaves were gone, but she promised to collect what she could to add to the mulch.
I could actually feel the ground being a little bit cooler under the light blanket. It was nice. Not only that, it seemed she had a skill: Soil Enrichment. When I heard that, I was elated. She was quick, but nervous to burst that bubble. Apparently, with the lack of moisture, while she could still use the skill, it was not to its full effect. She was still willing to use it though.
She didn't want much in return, but she said when I really started growing, she did ask if she could clip some leaves every now and then. Occasionally, maybe steal a glass ant or two from one of my honey pots. I was more then ready to agree to the second option. The leaves I was a bit more hesitant on. When Goldie had managed to rip at one, it had done a bit of damage. I had recovered, but still, I'm not that high on health.
Speaking of Goldie, I still hadn't seen her in a while. Though there were still plenty of glass ants that fell prey to my Nymph's Call. They were a great, and my only, source of food. Not soon enough, the week was over, and it was time to test out my new growth capabilities.
Experience: 112.36/300
Stamina: 52/52(62)
- Pheromone Communication
- Pheromone Manipulation