Chapter 1643 – The Unwanted Evolution

“Where are they going?” Theresant fretted.

She constantly darted forward, then mastered herself and retreated a little, desperate to intervene and protect the chal but knowing they wouldn’t appreciate her interference.

“Everything is fine,” Florence said, trying to soothe her sister. “They’re perfectly safe, the path has been cleared. They seem quite happy. What is there to worry about?”

She wasn’t lying. The Brood Tenders had made extensive preparations, and the Colony had been only too happy to respond to their wishes. Wherever the little snails chose to go, the way forward was clear and unobstructed, the small column of hatchlings defended on all sides by an army of volunteers.

“But where are they going? And why? I don’t like not knowing, they might be endangering themselves.”

“What harm can they find within the Fortress?” Florence pointed out, quite reasonably. “Holding them back was more likely to be a problem than letting them go. They’re stubborn, as you know.”

The snails did indeed seem quite happy, sliding along as a group, long moustaches trailing in the wind. Despite never moving through the fortress before, they seemed to know exactly where they wanted to be, as if guided by some unseen signal. Rather than worrying, Florence was quite keen to see just what had seized the little chal’s attention so thoroughly. She had heard that they were remarkable, powerful creatures. What was it they were planning to do?

~~~

Anthony’s fit, it seemed, was beginning to subside, and he was once again starting to focus on the internal battle against the infection, but tremendous damage had already been done.

The triad were well aware of the danger. The pressure weighed heavily on their minds as they continued to forge ahead, consulting with the giant ant when they had to, but trying to distract him as little as possible. With such a vast amount of evolutionary energy available, the temptation was there to simply start splurging, buying expensive upgrades and reforging with the best available materials, but their trained instincts refused to allow them to be so profligate. They would make the best choices they could, working within their means and spending efficiently. Anthony deserved nothing less.

Attention turned to the fusion. Of all the things this evolution granted Anthony, this was likely the best. Combining the array of organs he had purchased to make his acid a more viable weapon into a more formidable whole was one thing, but combined with the properties of Theorazzn’s mana, it would become truly deadly indeed.

The new Fused Acid Complex would reset the purchased mutations, but that lost energy wasn’t lost, rather it was spent on improving the baseline performance of everything contained within. Incorporating the infection, the triad were pleased to see the gland had adopted the propagation power and durability of Theorazzn’s taint. Accentuated by what had once been the concentration gland, those properties were even further enhanced. Acid fired from this gland would be truly deadly, even without modifying it.

To complete the package, the triad chose a new material well-suited to the purpose. They exceeded the budget provided by the fusion, but not by too much. Anthony would agree it was worth it in the end.

The final product: Fused Acid Complex (Deleterium Shard). Even shards of deleterium were prohibitively expensive, but worth it in this case. The material was exceptional for the production of acids and toxins.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Not for the first time, the triad were struck by just how much Anthony’s corpse would be worth to delvers. If anyone realised just how valuable his carapace was, he might be hunted even if he stayed within the Colony. They certainly weren’t going to advertise the fact, and hopefully no one else found out.

After all, further reforging needed to be done to complete the evolution, making him even more valuable a prize.