Chapter 115

AN: Unedited. Enjoy!
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The Creator, Atlantis, The Kalenic Sea

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It was fairly easy to roll out the new Evolution Framework to the crabs; we just had to perform the ritual on the females, and all their progeny would be capable of Evolution. We didn't even need to do it on all the females because of just how many eggs they lay. A dozen were chosen (by raffle, again) to have the ritual performed on them. Even if the females not changed had kids, they'd eventually intermingle with those changed and the Framework would spread throughout the species. Especially since the unchanged crabs would still be fighting and dying against the guilders.

In the end, I decided not to have the ritual performed on the Crab-folk and Scorpan species, since they were already 'Second Evolution' monsters, and thus had no need for it for the moment. As time passed, they'd be outnumbered and intermingle with the evolved crabs. Just as it would with the crabs, those capable of evolution would spread. And that is if they didn't notice breed with those capable of it on purpose. The absolute best part of this whole thing was, much like a GitHub-based program, I could 'push' new data into the Framework. Such as if I came up with a new evolutionary stage or side evolution.

It worked based on the manastream running throughout my entire dungeon. Every single Child and Monster was connected to it; like a tether of mana connecting their core to the stream. The mana they siphoned from it was their 'upkeep,' and for the most part it was minimal. Thanks to my efforts to have my monsters eat and drink, most of them were almost a hundred percent biological. The Crabs were probably the most mana-dependant of my monsters, and that was primarily due to of their growth speed. They died in extreme numbers, and needed extreme growth to support it.

Thankfully, I'd given the Crabs on the Eleventh a slower birth rate and maturation speed, otherwise the ocean would be full of them by now.

The only issue that'd popped up was my two test subjects becoming babies; scorplings, rather than adult Scorpans. I think I knew what the problem was though; Their mental age. Despite the crabs being mature when they were changed, they were only barely sapient. Like how it was recorded that apes had the mental capacity of children, Crabs have an equivalent mental capacity to Scorpan scorplings. It worked out though, Skitters seemed happy to take care of the ankle-biters.

Actually, I fibbed a little. There was a sidevolution to the standard crab which I immediately integrated into the Framework when I remembered it.

Shortly after they'd been introduced, I adapted the Crabs who lived deep in the ocean of the Eleventh to make it easier for them to navigate the oceans. Their previously squat, armoured bodies had only impeded their movement. Longer legs and smaller bodies were the order of the day. I'd also made their back legs into swimming fins, so that they didn't even have to walk if they didn't want to. 

A cross between Paddle and Spider Crabs, essentially. As a test, I took the new Spider Crabs (Might as well keep the name) and Pushed the template to the Crab's Framework as a sidevolution to the normal crab. As far as I could tell it worked, but I wouldn't know until a crab made the evolution.

Maybe I could make ocean-adapted Scorpans, later? Something based on lobsters sounded interesting...

But that was enough of the Crabs for now. With the Evolution Framework tested, it was time to move on the other monsters running around my dungeon. Over the next week, progress was quicker and smoother. Most Monsters only gained one or two evolutions, and most of the time it was just a larger, more capable form. A few were more special, and gained interesting evolutions. For example; The Infernal Serpents gained the Magma Constrictor and Hell Viper as more specialized forms; a binary choice upon their evolution.

The Magma Constrictor was about half the size of the giant snake I'd once used to kidnap some cattle and sheep from the surface, and much like it's name implied it was a brute. With thick, rock-like scales flush with scorching heat, it would attempt to crush and coil around enemies. The Hell Viper, while it was larger than the standard Infernal Serpent, traded size for the ability to spit a napalm-like substance more than twenty yards. As they grew older and more experienced in it's use, that distance would only increase, as would their accuracy. They were hooded, and the glowing patterns on the inside of their hood looked like fiery, infernal eyes.

I was very happy with how they turned out.

The Golden Sunlions gained two evolutions as well; the Solar and Lunar Lions. Diurnal and Nocturnal respectively, they were the fantasy standard solar-lunar diarchy of power. Solar Lions were bigger, bulkier and more powerful, massing about three times as much as an average Sunlion. They replaced the tear-drop like spots of the sunlion with a pure golden coat that glowed brightly under the sun. Lunar Lions were slimmer, more like panthers or leopards in build than a lion, despite also being half-again as large as a Sunlion. Their coats turned a deep blue with tiny glowing white spots, their magic taking on a more moonlight and starlight flavour, compared to the bright Solar Lions.

I also formalized the evolution of the Hellbats into Hellscream Bats, a slightly modified version of the bats living in the caverns of Strana Zvuka, the Sound Island. I kept the Sound magic, but made their colouration more like their prevolution, and bumped up the size a bit. I will admit though, I was running out of steam a bit by the time I reached the fish. The Monsterous Bloodfish, the Mithril-scale Bluefish, and Jetfish were born. All around bigger, tougher, and more intelligent. For the Brute, that was about it. They were the tanks, the ones that took the most work to cut down. The Mithril-scale Bluefish's scales were sharper, made of Mithril as the name implied, and infused with metal magic. The Jetfish gained a sleeker look, more like a dart than the arrow their prevolution resembled, while their water magic got a huge boost, and they gained a species-wide enchantment that would propel them at great speed.

The Bloodfish Monarch gained a unique evolution, and I changed said fish boss significantly. The Bloodfish Sovereign was no more. Now, the boss held features of all three fish monsters. The Perfect Predator was large and strong, twenty yards long from nose to tail, a single swipe of which could smack a smaller fish clear across the flooded boss room. It's scales were razor sharp, and it could explode them off of itself to cover almost the entire arena. it would take a few minutes to re-grow them in which it was vulnerable, though. Finally, It gained the magic to propel itself across the room at speed.

It was a far better boss than just a fish larger than the others, and I made sure to have Kata inform the Guild of the changes. I may have made it more deadly, but I wasn't actively trying to kill anyone at the moment. With that done and my rush of immediate inspiration dried up, it was time to check in with Instinct. Surely it had some ideas on what it wanted in a body by now.

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The First Peak, The Eighth Floor, The Dungeon

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"Harald, put the book down, we've got a floor to explore," Isid ordered as they emerged from the cave, the chilly wind blowing lightly on the mountaintops of the Eighth. 

"But! Book!" Harald exclaimed, looking up with wide, dilated eyes. "About how to read the runes! This is priceless!" Said book had been given to them by the Seventh's Guardian, Tear, with an apology. Apparently he'd meant to give it to them when they reached him the first time, more than a month ago. When Tear had explained it was a guide on learning runes Harald had taken the book from her, and had been totally absorbed in it since.

Isid glanced at her husband. Without a word said, Jerrad stepped up behind Harald and took the book from him while he was distracted.

"It's going to take a while to learn an entirely new language, and we need you focused on the here and now, Harald," Isid reasoned. Jerrad held the book high in the air, one hand placed on Harald's collarbone, while the older man reached for it fruitlessly. "There is plenty on this floor to discover and study. You can read the book later, and on our next delve you might even be able to read the runes on the upper floors."

Harald slumped, his arms going limp. "Fine," he agreed, eyes still trained on the book as Jerrad placed it in his expanded pouch. "But I get that back as soon we get back to the surface," Harald insisted.

"Of course," Isid acquiesced to his request. "As soon as we get back."

As Duncan stepped forward to start ribbing Harald, Isid and Jerrad glanced over at the other two parties in their raid group.

Paetor and his group were quiet, but still talked amongst themselves, checked equipment and made jokes. Haythem and Bertram were standing together, at the edge of the cliff. They weren't looking at the mountains, but towards the cavern's wall, instead. 

It was times like this that Isid wondered what they were seeing. To her, the underground nature of the floor was obvious. She could see the curvature of the cavern's ceiling, and how the manastream split and flowed through the air. She remembered seeing. She remembered the blue sky, and green grass. The brown dirt and her own white hair. It only made her condition more tragic, in her opinion. Cursed to know how others saw the world, then the slow decline of her ability to do so, until all she saw was the shape of things and how their mana flowed. Sure, life mana was green, but all that meant was a forest was more like the ocean, absolutely saturated in mana that drowned out and hid all other types from her sight.

She turned to face the mountains, taking in their shape.

Three peaks, including the one they stood below. She saw movement in the distance, high on the Second Peak. A pattern of mana distinctive to this dungeon's manabeings; Air and Ice, from the looks of things. Neither one they'd encountered before. This marked the second time two different Courts were located on the same floor, and Isid could only wonder how the dungeon kept the Courts from infighting.

Either way, beyond the courts they'd be monsters, potentially a species of Children, and those giant birds they'd seen in the distance on their last visit. No doubt the birds were the Guardians, and that ruined-looking tower was the arena. Of course that was on the Third peak. They'd need to cross the chasm between the first and second peaks, cross the second, then the third.

Isid had serious doubts it would be as easy as crossing a bridge. They'd gotten a glimpse of it on their earlier exploration and, from the mana she saw infusing the thing, It was definitely a trap. They'd finish mapping the First peak today, then tomorrow they'd look into getting over to the Second.

"Alright people, time to move out." Isid announced, getting the attention of the guilders. "Eyes and ears open, heads on a swivel. Who knows what's hiding in the snow, and I don't want to find out by being skewered." Serious nods were given, and silently, they moved along the path.

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Near the Capital, Capital Duchy, Thenoa

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Tamesou Akio's eyes were wide as he took in the sight of the capital. The Caravan they were guiding was due to stop here, and from what Akio understood the heroes and their mentors would buy horses to travel the rest of the way. Just as he'd been told the capital, or former capital as he'd heard many claim, was a beautiful city.

"Could this place be any more isekai-looking?" Bruce question, sounding incredulous. "I mean, come on! White buidlings, red-tiled roofs. A river running right through the middle. It's so cliche!"

Akio had to admit, the Australian boy was right. it was very greek or roman-like in appearance. The river split the city into three sections; an island in the middle of the river held the Palace and it's grounds. The eastern side of the river was full of buildings that looked larger and grander than the western. Probably the noble district. Akio spotted a dozen smaller squares with what looked like statues, as well as plentiful greenery and gardens. White birds flittered about, and he thought he could see swans in the river.

The Western section was more indeed more cramped, with narrow streets and it's squares filled with what looked like stalls and markets. Three bridges spanned the river. Two crossed near the walls, connecting the Eastern and Western sections. There was one bridge to the palace, originating from the Noble district. It was the only way to reach the palace, in fact. Curtain walls ran right up to the edge of the river, connected to large towers topped with ballista.

"It may be cliche, but it's certainly pretty," Sophie argued.

The three of them stood atop a hill the caravan was passing. They'd reach the city itself before nightfall, stay a night or two, then move on. Two weeks of constant travel could certainly wear you down. He was looking forward to a comfy bed in an inn.

"Whatdoya reckon, mates? Think any of the royal family survived?" Bruce asked, shading his eyes. Akio followed his gaze to the Palace. There was no missing the collapsed central tower. Rubble littered the grounds around it, and Akio wondered what had caused the explosion.

"If they did, I doubt they'll show their faces." Sophie commented, "Probably being sheltered by some noble family, who'll force them to marry into the family, and they'll quietly fade into obscurity for a few generations. Then, there'll be a huge thing about 'reclaiming our rightful place as kings,' somehow proving their royal blood, and a new dynasty will rise." 

Akio and Bruce stared at Sophie, who realised she'd been very specific, and dramatic, with hand gestures and all.

"I mean, probably."

"Never took you for a theatre kid, Soph." Bruce smirked. 

"Like I'd hang with those preppy shits," Sophie huffed. "I didn't want the drama. I swear their club president, Rosie O'Donald, was on her fifth boyfriend of the year and somehow it's a huge thing every time it happens. No, I'm an emo kid, and hung out with the emo kids." Sophie asserted. "What about you guys? Any clubs?"

"Nerd," Bruce immediately responded shamelessly. "Occupied the library in the breaks, held gaming tournaments and played DnD."

"Ah, I was in the Student Council." Akio replied, rubbing the back of his head. "Just a junior member. I only really got snacks and coffee for the other members. But the President is going to graduate next year, so I'll probably end up the Secretary or Treasurer or something."

"Cool. Not going the President?" Bruce asked, "Oh, and do the student councils in Japanese high schools actually have as much power as anime says they do?"

"I'm not an exceptional guy. Average, actually," Akio said with a wry smile. "I wouldn't dare run for president. And not so much. The student council manages the other clubs, their funding and organises festival days. Our president may be the daughter of a CEO, but she doesn't practically run the school like some anime presidents do."

Bruce and Sophie shared a look.

"Definetly like in an Anime." "Oh, totally."

Akio pouted. He felt the warm reassurance of Amaterasu and smiled down at the core, the light glinting off it's blue facets.

"Young Akio, Bruce, Sophie! Break time's over! Get back down here!" Sensei Heliat called. They turned to see him at the base of the hill. He was guarding the rear of the caravan, and was about to pass them!

"Last one down there's a rotten egg," Bruce challenged, then ran off before either of the others could respond. After a stunned second, Akio and Sophie chased him with skwarks of outrage. They raced to the bottom of the hill. 

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