It'd be nice to mutate right now but I want to build up my bank of Biomass a bit more before I take the plunge. Going through those endless lists and menus is a massive pain in the backside and I'd rather save it all up and go through as much as possible at once.

That doesn't mean I don't tell Tiny, Crinis and Invidia that they need to make sure they're 100% ready to go before we leave. I leave my three friends silently contemplating their options whilst Brilliant roams free, enjoying a taste of unsupervised freedom before I grab her back into the fold and head out in the stratum once again.

I have several ideas in mind for this expedition, but before I commit to anything I feel like I should take advantage of the collected wisdom here in Orpule before I go gallivanting off into the wilds once again.

My first port of call is to check in with Sarah. Our last talk was a bit heavy and I know she has some things to process but I figure the polite thing is to invite her out again rather than make an assumption.

[That's kind of you, Anthony, but I think I'll rest here in the city for a bit. I don't want to go out there while my head isn't on straight. With what's going on with Jim… I just don't think I'll be in proper control of my emotions.]

Definitely not something you want if you're an anger fuelled murder-bear.

[I get you,] I give her an encouraging pat on the back. [Take it easy and rest for a while. Head up to the second stratum if you feel like it, might as well enjoy the cold while you still can.]

She shudders a little.

[I might take you up on that. Even with these enchantments it is so hot here.]

[You're just too furry!] I laugh. [You need a nice shiny carapace in your next evolution. You won't regret it!]

She eyes my diamond perfection askance.

[I'll consider it…] she says but I'm not convinced she means it.

What is this reluctance! Bah! Some people can't accept true beauty when it's right in front of their eyes… I say farewell to the big bear and head deeper into the city to check on the goings on in the anthill. As usual my appearance causes a few ripples of disturbance amongst the ants but it's something that I'm growing used to over time. I feel like the more attuned to them I become, the more attuned to me they get, as if the connection were working in both directions in some way.

Which it shouldn't be. I've studiously checked the flow of energy through the Vestibule and it's all one way. Though it's hard for me to examine exactly what happens in the Nave, I can't detect any hint of something leaving me and going to them, so I can't explain it, nonetheless it feels as if it's true.

[Eldest!] I'm greeted by Cobalt, of all the ants, certainly someone I didn't expect to see here.

[Shouldn't you be back at the nest taking care of all the expansion projects up there?] I ask suspiciously.

She holds both antennae straight up in the air.

[No thwacking!] she cries. [All the projects are running smoothly and we delayed the timetable for expansion in order to make sure there aren't any mistakes. Since I didn't have anything to do I thought I'd come down here and help with the research and construction going on.]

Research?

[You guys have found some interesting stuff?] I ask, curious.

[Oh yes,] she nods, thankful that I've been distracted from more dangerous topics, [the scouts identified a new type of ore that we are testing right now. It's saturated in fire mana and incredibly heat resistant. We can think of hundreds of uses for it but so far we haven't managed to smelt it. Either we can't make a fire that's hot enough or there's another method that we haven't discovered yet.]

Interesting…

[Well I'm sure that you'll think of something,] I shrug. I'm not going to be the one to puzzle out this mystery, I leave that to the smarter ants. [In terms of building, what are the carvers actually working on down here?]

Once again she backs off as if frightened that I might discipline her. I'm not that scary!

[Just defensive works! Honest! I've even been sleeping properly, no abductions for a week!]

One week? That's it?!

[Just how often were you getting captured?] I ask, my antennae quivering with barely concealed anger.

[Not… that often.]

[Rest is important!]

THWACK!

After dispensing justice to the remorseful carver I head off to find my three favourite rock covered people in the whole world. That is to say, Granin, Corun and Torrina, who made the journey over to Orpule not that long ago. As expected, I find them working with the Core Shapers, assisting in the research and practice of the caste as they experiment with the precious few Demon cores to see what they can come up with. I have to say, if they manage to fold a shadow beast and a demon together into one monster I'll be impressed, though I have no idea how useful the resultant monster would be. Perhaps they'd be better off putting different types of demon together?

[Hey there Granin!] I give him and the gang a friendly wave as I approach. [How's things treating you?]

He barely looks up at me before he grunts over the mental connection.

[You still haven't evolved yet?]

[You can't be serious!]

[What if I am?]

I stare at the stubborn old slab of granite, a touch exasperated and Torrina comes to my rescue by stepping into the mental link.

[I think Granin is just a little concerned. We've been taking measurements of the mana levels here in the third stratum and there are signs that they may already be starting to rise again…]

I stare at her, gobsmacked.

[Another wave? Already?!]

She shakes her head.

[No, not for a month or two, perhaps more, but it's disturbing nonetheless. After the last two waves the readings never fell back to normal, in fact after the last one they fell even less than after the first. If this pattern continues…]

[This is evidence that your theory might be correct, that another Cataclysm is on the way…]

Well that ain't good.

[Nothing is certain,] Corun holds his hands up, [this could just be nothing and we might find that the concentration of energy begins to fall again over the next few weeks.]

I'm not even sure if he believes it…

[It won't,] Granin rumbles over the mind bridge, his thoughts unusually still. [We don't have much time until they come up for us.]

He lifts his head and looks me in the eyes.

[So why haven't you evolved yet?]

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