Evolve

by Derek Belfield

  The import of this development hit Slate all of once. If this Scourge Mind happened to all of the Scourge, then scouts would be able to report information to their armies, and the commanders would receive it immediately so long as they went out in twos. Additionally, Slate could give commands instantly, and time nor distance would be a factor. This was every general's wet dream. Intelligence won battles as surely as weapons did.

  He could feel Vind—no Shale's mind through Scourgemind as well. Her thoughts were following his own. He could feel her assessing the information and applying it to potential battle scenarios. They both stopped and looked up at each other. They smiled. They both understood the importance of this boon.

  Slate decided to focus on the description of the Scourgemind.

  Scourgemind: When two members of the Scourge come into close enough proximity they can activate the Scourgemind. The Scourgemind is a unique collective unconscious used by the Scourge to communicate long distances and share information amongst themselves.

  Scourgling's do not possess the capacity to access the Scourgemind. Only the Heritor and Consort evolutionary paths can choose to hide their mind from the Scourgemind. All other members of the Scourge are automatically assimilated into the Scourgemind from birth.

  Slate shared the information with Shale through the Scourgemind, and she nodded in understanding. Words didn't need to be exchanged. Slate exulted. This was even better than being in communion with the forest! While he was here, he checked the descriptions of the Scourge Shield and Minor Regeneration.

  Scourge Shield: when two members of the Scourge come into close enough proximity they can activate the Scourge Shield. The Scourge Shield is a minor barrier made from light and fire that is created by the combined blessing of the Lord of Light. It has the power to burn melee attackers and disrupt magical ranged attacks. The more members of the Scourge in proximity, the stronger the barrier becomes.

  Slate realized that this was also a remarkable boon for his armies. It would be especially useful for his melee fighters. He noted that the description did not mention ranged attacks like an arrow from a bow. He supposed that the barrier couldn't be perfect. Next, he studied Minor Regeneration.

  Minor Regernation: when two members of the Scourge come into close enough proximity they can activate Minor Regeneration. Minor Regenerations allows the Scourge to heal minor wounds faster when in close proximity to another without the use of biomass. The more members of the Scourge in proximity, the more lethal the injury that can be naturally healed. However, the rate of healing will remain the same.

  Slate could feel Shale's building excitement along with his own. This changed everything. They needed to build their army and quickly. Additionally, this showed both of them that while there were only two of them, they needed to remain together at all times. The benefits were just too great. From Slate perspective, this was a welcome addition to Scourge survivability to offset their weak defense.

  From Shale's perspective, this development meant that Slate could never place her in a breeding chamber somewhere for her own safety. Instead, he would have to welcome her as a fellow warrior and equal. She had been worried that was precisely what Slate would've done. It was the logical thing to do not to put her in danger. But now she knew she could get everything she could have ever wanted. She gave a quick prayer to the Lord of Light in thanks.

  Now that the initial shocks were over, they finally greeted each other to the relieved breaths of the elders. They had not known what was happening in the few silent moments that had passed between the two rulers.

  Shale composed herself and bowed once again to Slate. "Lord Heritor." She greeted.

  He smiled and returned a shallower bow of his own. "Lady Consort." Greetings completed, they both grinned like two children sharing a secret. Had they still been human and elf, the smile would have been one of joy and discovery. However, their raptor-like heads made the smile a fang-filled maw that terrified the gathered elders. They had expected one monster. Not two.

  Slate held one hand out to her in an unmistakable gesture for her to join him. She walked up the few steps of the dais to find that there was only one throne. She concentrated, and silver mana was drawn to her in a rush. With a gesture, a smaller throne matching Slate's own rose from the stone floor. The magic caused a slight tremble in the ground that jarred the elders and made Sumnu stumble. Slate chuckled at the change.

  They both seated and held each other's hands. They were communicating within the Scourgemind and planning the show to come. After a couple of moments of silently watching the elders arrayed around him, Slate frowned and addressed them collectively.

  "Distinguished elders" he began, his voice, rich and controlled. The elders visibly relaxed with his words. "We have become strong and whole again, but my Lady Consort has become unsatisfied with your performance over the last three decades. You were secretive, hiding away your knowledge of the Lord of Light and allowing your people to worship a false god." He paused and met each of their eyes before continuing. "Under your purview and by your direction, the Guardians used their power to oppress and harm your own people." The assembled elders began to grow nervous. Slate shot a look over his shoulder. "Be at ease, Sumnu Stonebringer, I do not blame you for these high crimes." The chief studied Slate, knowing where this conversation would lead. He nodded slowly and crossed his powerful arms over his chest before glaring at the elders. He knew which way the wind was going to blow.

  "Slate!" the Heritor was interrupted by a man on his left. "We were doing the best we could to keep the people together." Slate glared at the man before making a small gesture with his lower left appendage and activated Cleansing Flame. The man issued a single sound of surprise before his body was ripped apart in an explosion of white flames. Blood and gore splattered the two other elders on either side of him and painted the stone table and column behind him with mercurial blood.

  The other elders opened stood open mouthed as someone they had known for a hundred years had simply been extinguished. They felt the real fear of death at that moment. They turned and provided their undivided attention to the new Lord.

  "You will not call me Slate. You will call me Lord, Lord Heritor, or Heritor." He paused and looked at the hand he was still holding. "You will address my Lady Consort by Lady, Lady Consort, or Consort." He looked back at the remaining members of the council. "Is this clear?"

  A chorus of "Yes, my Lord" and other appropriate forms of address came from the gathered elders.

  "Good" Slate simply replied. "As I was saying, we are retaining your services as an advisory body, but trust that we are not pleased with your performance thus far."

  Slate stopped and looked around the room. "Tell me, where is Merus?" Slate idly asked. One elder was exceptionally quick to reply. He stood from his seat and bowed. "My Lord, he is in the temple above recovering."

  Slate studied him "Recovering, you say? Bring him here." The man left at once with a hurried, "yes, my Lord."

  The other elders sat still in their seats, not daring to tempt the wrath of the Lord Heritor. Soon a limping Merus descended the stairs with the elder in tow. Slate noticed the exhaustion in his body. It could not have easy carrying a parasite and then getting in multiple fights where Slate own unearthly strength boosted his own. He would now be paying for that despite the healing magic he had likely received when the place of power was converted.

  As he reached the front of the wading pool, he stopped and bowed. "How may I help the Lord Heritor."

  Slate felt a moment of amusement as the elder had obviously briefed Merus on the way down the stairs. Slatet gave Merus a genuine smile. "Rise, Merus Moonreader we are all friends here." He noticed suspicious glances being thrown Merus' way by the elders.

  His companion rose and silently waited for what Slate would have to say. After being in close proximity to the parasite, he knew exactly how his mind worked. Merus knew the bug was putting on a show for some reason. He surreptitiously looked around and saw h
ow uncomfortable the elders were and the explosion of blood on his right. Ah, there it is. He thought. He wants to know if they're trustworthy or not, and he's going to use me to test their loyalty. Merus didn't see why the Scourge Heritor bothered. Shale, as she had demanded to be called earlier, wanted them all dead. To secure her loyalty, he would have to deliver his promise. Unless of course, Slate didn't think that trading twelve elders for her was worth it.

  There was a twinkle in Slate's eyes as he addressed Merus once again. "Merus, for your outstanding service in your protection and guidance of your charge." Slate gestured to himself with one hand. "Namely, me. I am elevating you to the High Council. You will be in command of the Guardians and a direct advisor to myself."

  As soon as Slate had said that Merus was to be in command of the Guardians, shocked and outraged noises came from the elder's council. Even Sumnu was surprised, but he wisely kept silent. It had been too long since the council had been threatened with their life, he reflected. At Slate's wrathful glare, they silenced themselves, fear painting their visages. Slate could feel righteous vindication from his bond with Shale. She really, really hated the elders for whatever reason. Slate sighed. Well, she had been right. They are treacherous, power-hungry snakes. If I wanted to be surrounded by a cabal like that, I would have run for Congress instead of Governor.

  He let go of Shale's hand and stood to his full height. Drawing power from his throne, he gestured with both of his lower appendages and eleven explosions of white flame lit up the smallish room. Merus remained absolutely still and did not move or comment on the death of the elders. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on, but he didn't want to be the next one to die in a ball of white fire. He could feel the boiling hot air displaced by the fire, and that was enough for him.

  As Slate watched, the remains of the elders began to be absorbed into the white stone all around them. In a matter of seconds, the chamber had returned to its pristine condition. A system notice popped up.

  Congratulations! You have killed four, level 20 Scourge Guardians. You have reached level 21! You have earned 50 biomass.

  Well, that was handy Slate said into the Scourgemind. He felt Shale's agreement. It made sense that this place of power was well-suited for his abilities. He would miss it when he would inevitably need to go back out into battle.

  He shook off his thoughts and looked down at Merus. He gestured imperiously for Sumnu to stand next to Merus. "First, you two can call me Slate when we're meeting with the High Council. I consider you both trusted advisors." He looked at Sumnu and addressed him. "Sumnu Stonebringer, you will be in charge of the royal guards. As the winner of last year's Reaping, I expect that you are the most suitable choice. You will organize the guard, staff it with Guardians, and begin protecting these walls at one." The man clapped a fist to his chest in a salute.

  Satisfied that he understood, Slate turned to Merus. "Merus, you will become the Governor of Lighthaven. I expect you to begin creating the administrative processes that will undergird the Scourge." He mused out loud. “Once we have built the Scourge up, I will bring more members to the council to act as my advisors." Slate waited to see what Merus' response would be.

  Merus straightened from the bow he had held himself at. "Of course, Slate. There's nowhere I would rather be." He smiled. "Are we going to create something larger than ourselves like you told me in the forest?"

  Slate nodded. "Yes. But we've just started. As your first act as an advisor on the high council, how would you recommend we proceed?"

  Merus shrugged. "You should meet your new people, Heritor. They're not the same as when you left them. I think you will be impressed with the way they've changed to become more symbiotic with the Scourglings."

  Slate rubbed his chin and looked over to his Consort. "Shall we? My Lady?" Shale rose gracefully and put an arm into the crook of his own. It was a little disconcerting to see two monsters of death and destruction, acting like refined rulers. However, the world would have to get used to it. That was going to be the way of the Scourge from now on.

  He paused. "Shit." He hurriedly pulled up his status screen. "If I don't spend my biomass on leveling my mutations, the Lord of Light will turn me into vapor. Both Merus and Shale chuckled at his predicament and waited patiently for Slate to finish.

  The first thing Slate did was level all of his current mutations to V. As soon as he did so, he received a system message.

  Congratulations! You have five mutations that you can evolve into a greater mutation! Please select from this list of options.

  The list of options was absurdly long. Each mutation had multiple options. They seemed to break down into a few categories. Some increased the potency of a mutation, some were substantive changes to frequency, capacity, or range. Others added utility to an existing evolution, and still, more could infuse magic into the various mutations that added mystical effects. The list was endless.

  Slate focused on what he needed from each mutation. For acid, he wanted to give it more utility. It was great for melting organic material, but it barely affected inorganic materials. He knew that outside of his realm, his enemies were likely to be armored, and it would be necessary to have a way to mitigate that defense. He mentally selected Etching Acid I. It gave his acid the ability to affect nonorganic substances as well. He read the description before confirming.

  Etching Acid: This mutation evolves the formic acid glands in the skull and changes them to hydrofluoric acid. The acid is highly corrosive and can melt through most natural or artificial substances. Due to this acid's oxidation when exposed to air, it is rapidly rendered inert. This mutation also infuses Scourge flesh with organic fluoride-based insulation that protects it from reacting with the acid. Further evolution can increase range, corrosiveness, the quantity of acid produces, and more.

  His next choice was his paralytic. Once again, he wanted more utility. It was potent and numerous enough, but he wanted something that would give him a greater edge in politicking rather than just for killing. He found an option that would give his paralytic a hallucinatory and euphoric effect. He figured if he could drug a prisoner to the gills, they might provide the information they wouldn't otherwise. He liked the look of its description.

  Duotoxin: this mutation improves the toxin-storage glands located in the mouth and tail and allows it to produce bufotoxin in addition to micrutoxin. The micrutoxin in the glands cause full-body paralysis by targeting the pores on the nerve stem and spinal column. The bufotoxins cause the target to have powerful hallucinations that stimulate religious experiences. This mutation allows the user to switch between the two toxins or use both simultaneously. This mutation can be further evolved to grant active control, cause epilepsy, seizures, or schizophrenia, simulate limited forms of mind control, and more. This mutation only works on biological enemies.

  Next, he needed to evolve his favorite weapon, his tail blade. This was a more difficult decision because it was a simple weapon designed to do a simple thing. It stabbed and killed people. He wasn't sure what would make it more lethal. Maybe an infectious effect? He could make it stronger or sharper as well? He decided to make it better at what it already did. He chose Mono Blade I. It turned the edge of his tail blade into a monomolecular edge. This would allow him to slice through damn near anything with impunity.

  Mono Blade: This mutation improves the tail blade by concentrating on the surface area of the blade at the molecular level. This allows the edge to become sharper as the same force is applied to a smaller surface. This mutation can be further evolved to increase the density, force applied, apply vampiric effects, and more.

  Next, he could develop his mana vision. This one was easier for him to decide. He wanted to combine his mana vision with his own vision instead of having to delineate the two. A fusion of his normal vision and mana vision would give him the ability to sense his opponents and make them out with great detail. He found a mutation that suited his needs. Combined Vision I. He selected it immediately.

>   Combined Vision: This mutation improves the way the brain processes sensory information by allowing the user to augment their physical vision to see the mana resonance of everything within their field of view. This can be actively controlled to sense using physical vision, mana vision, or a combination of both. This mutation can be further evolved to increase the range, add thermal capabilities, penetrate magical barriers, mesmerize opponents, and more. This mutation includes night vision.

  His final mutation was his tongue. It was already a fantastic mutation with extreme utility. That alone, made it challenging to choose how to progress it. He had been thinking about a way to create sustainable food for the Scourge. He knew that blood counted as biomass just as much as flesh. Right now, the Scourge would have to kill and eat its way across the continent. That was fine for the short term when there were plenty of enemies but wouldn't be sustainable long-term. It would be perfect if he could turn the Guardian into a source of food in addition to their protection of the young.