Chrysalis

After discussing the various benefits of the Elemental Ant, which were impressive to say the least, I was ready to move on. As cool as the evolution is, I'm not about to throw away my precious gravity mana. Powerful elemental spells? Sure, that'd be great and all, but would they really match up to what the Gravity Bomb can do? Can they match up to what the gravity bomb will be able to do in the future? The more mental strength I accumulate, the deadlier the gravity bomb will get. If I ever manage to actually snipe the Gravity Mana Affinity skill, then my proficiency will soar!

Besides, trading future growth for strength in the present is just not my style. I'd much rather go the other way!

Moving onto the next option, the Diamond Soldier. I've got a good feeling about this one!

[Rare Evolution: Diamond Soldier. +20 bonus to Cunning, +20 bonus to Will, +100 bonus to Might, +100 bonus to Toughness. The Diamond Soldier is an unbreakable frontline warrior and leader who is capable of turning the tide of battle single handed, without drawing on the support of others of its kind. The carapace and mandibles will be reforged into Fetid Diamond, a material as hard as it is toxic, enemies who draw too close, or suffer a bite, will experience the immensely powerful poison embedded within (warning, this will reset all mutations). In addition, a diamond parasite hive will be added.]

Uh… what? Granin winces.

[I was worried about this happening,] he says.

[What do you mean?]

[This is basically the option you wanted next evolution. Despite how it sounds, this is actually better than I thought you might get at this stage. Fetid Diamond is a fourth strata material, it's exceptionally powerful. Hard as nails, much more so than your current exo-skeleton, and even a touch of the stuff is capable of killing the unprepared. Your mandibles would effectively get not only a hardness upgrade, but an exceptionally potent toxin upgrade for free.]

[But what's this about a parasite hive?! I'm not sure how I feel about that!]

Torrina raises her hands in a calming gesture.

[It's a good thing, even if it sounds… a little weird. Basically a small nest of symbiotic parasites would be created within the carapace and they excrete material that hardens and toughens your shell over time. It's a powerful upgrade.]

I'm really not comfortable with voluntarily adding parasites to my carapace.

probably would have seen some of the diamond types from the fifth strata, like I told you about. There's still a chance you might see it, but since

[The odds are diminished…]

[Right,] he nods.

Well damn.

Fetid Diamond even shiny?] I

of the

of a dull yellow-green,] Torrina

REJECTED, DAMMIT.

my perfect diamond upgrade next time, I'm going to be super annoyed! Annoyed I say! Bah to you, Gandalf! Even if I have to pay for the cash-ins myself, I'm getting me a sweet, fifth strata diamond shell, no matter

Next!

to Toughness. To see all and know all is the purpose of the All-Seeing Scout. The eyes are remade into Demonic Lenses (warning, this will reset all mutations). In addition, a Visual Array Matrix will be added to the brain, along with a Spectral Wave Eye. Together, these will eliminate the ability of the All-Seeing Scout to see, instead allowing them

becoming an 'All-Seeing

more potent non-visual 'sight'. The two Demonic Lenses don't act like eyes at all, more like receptors that will coordinate with the Spectral Wave Eye to capture signals that normal eyes just can't see. The Visual Array

this with an Earth analogy, the two demonic lenses are like satellite dishes, the Spectral Eye is like the antenna and the Matrix is like a computer. The eye detects

package like this is pretty much top of the line for a monster of your tier. You'd be impossible to sneak

I turn to Granin.

Sense, with this setup you'll be able to see mana. Heck, you can actually 'see' a short distance into stone if my memory serves. And this is all before mutations. You can upgrade the lenses to be more sensitive, have longer range, collect in a wider area, specialise in a certain type of input, and ditto with the Spectral Eye. A small side benefit, demonic lenses are, as I said, not eyes. They're hard, much harder than chitin. You'd

I've warmed up to it after their analysis. It's true that having better information is a key component of battle. Knowing where your opponent is at all times, finding them before they find you, it's all extremely important, especially for the stealthy, one on one style combat that scouts tend to engage in. If I spent more time roaming out on my own than I did fighting alongside the Colony, this would be a better combat evolution than even the Diamond Soldier in my opinion. I'll have to think about this one carefully if

hesitate for a

has to

a look at your core,] Granin muses, stroking his chin, [I can make a few guesses, obviously,