POV Geckodo

  Geckodo was at peace. He had saved his people from certain doom and loss of Sapience, which filled him with joy and sadness. Joy in the fact that now his people had hope after a long time spent in darkness and evil. Saddened at how many lives had to be sacrificed before that freedom could be attained.

  His new reality was both a relief and a terrible responsibility. The godsblood within him was taint-free, but he could no longer be Fomorian. He had a new god now, a new master to serve, and that was just and right, but it meant that his people’s past was forever denied them. He had much to atone for, and his people’s future now depended on his ability to exceed his new Master’s expectations. That could happen later, however. His large frame rested against his Master’s central pillar, and he breathed in the thick Aether present, content for the moment, with his victory.

  This place was strange yet invigorating, with levels of Aether he would never have expected from such a small area. His Crystal Core drank it in like a bottomless pit, and Geckodo had to control it firmly so he wouldn’t take more than his share. The creatures here were almost as amazing as the levels of Aether. How they had attained such Aether Density without their cores exploding was astounding. It wasn’t so surprising that they had them since most dungeon monsters had cores of some kind.

  These, however, were tiny in comparison. Most dungeon monsters that got to high stages of Ascension were often large to compensate. There were exceptions to the rule, of course, but even the exceptions weren’t as small as the majority of this dungeon's creatures. That did raise an important question. Did his new Master know just how valuable his creatures would be to Delvers with Crystal Cores? Did he even know what a Crystal Core was?

  He probably didn’t. The Fae didn’t usually use them as they received power directly from the seeds from which they were born. The Mother Tree supplied prospective parents with a seed with the intention of having them pass on any noteworthy traits or abilities. He did not know how they did it, but he was sure each subspecies had its own methods passed down through the ages. He was pretty sure that was why they called them inheritances.

  So, no Crystal Cores, which meant his shattered one was all the Dungeon had to go on, and even now that it was fixed, Geckodo doubted the Dungeon would look too hard until it had a reason to. After all, most of its creations would have pure Aether Cores to store their Aether in, so he most likely wouldn’t think to ask about the differences between them. He would need to correct that impression.

  There was no reason not to when his new god would benefit so much from the knowledge. The fact that Delvers required pure Aether Cores to form their Crystal Cores and that the primary way they grew in power was by absorbing that pure Aether– yes, a conversation would need to be had, but it didn’t have to be now.

  Neither he nor his new god were going anywhere anytime soon. So, Geckodo leaned back against the central pillar and breathed, content to no longer be a Warmeister of the Fallen but a Chieftain of the Risen.

  POV Valterra Unok’Davaas

  Your “Savage Mink” is ready to Ascend!

  Please choose from among the following stages:

  Feralclaw Marauder (Rank C - Steel)

  Once a natural mammal, though a magical one, this animal has Ascended into an entirely new species dedicated to an aggressive lifestyle. It is now a scourge upon the forests it calls home and a roaming terror to those who have the misfortune of stumbling upon its path. Its only purpose is to indulge itself in the hunt.

  Embermaw Mink (Rank C - Steel)

  Having feasted on the Aether of an entity of fire, this mink has had its savagery sated and replaced with something more hungry still. It has embraced the flame and kindled a fire within its very soul. It is semi-aquatic no longer and is now an anathema to the forests it called home.

  Slipstream Mink (Rank C - Steel)

  Larger and more powerful than its lesser stage Ascensions, this mink is the terror of the streams and lakes it calls home. With a growing water affinity, this Ascended mammal has the ability and inclination to live a fully submerged and aquatic lifestyle. It utilizes its water affinity to pull breathable air directly into its body from the surrounding water, allowing it to remain submerged for hours. Building dens wherever it can along the banks of waterways, the Slipstream Mink travels constantly to find enough prey to satiate its hunger.

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  Valterra looked over the stages for his Savage Mink’s Ascension. They were all decent in his eyes, providing something new to his Dungeon or adding to what was already there. The Feralclaw Marauder would provide an overall upgrade and transform its species into something else entirely. Valterra wasn’t sure what to think about that.

  The Embermaw was something he was very interested in, as it would pair nicely with his new mantis and salamander Ascensions. He may even be able to build a fire-inspired floor later in the boiler room of the house. He mentally checked the area and the strange flame that continued to burn in the room. Something about it still tickled his senses, but he didn’t have the time to explore that feeling right now.

  The Slipstream Mink seemed like a return to the mink’s original Path of Ascension with a large enhancement. While semi-uninteresting, it would give him another creature to use in his water floor, potentially making it even more deadly and adding competition with the whale pod.

  Every option was enticing and something he didn’t yet have, but his choice was made easier because only one was truly unique. He chose the Embermaw. The reason for this was simple. The Feralclaw and Slipstream were direct upgrades of the Savage Mink itself, while the Embermaw seemed like an option made available because of the recent invaders. If Valterra could only choose one, he would choose the one he might not get again. Considering only one Mink had accumulated enough Aether to Ascend, he would have to wait to find out if there were other options.

  The next Ascension he looked at was another one of his unique creations, the Deeplight Stalkers.

  Your “Deeplight Stalker” is ready to Ascend!

  Due to being a Unique creature, the Helpdesk will now be engaged to help the Dungeon Core craft a suitable stage of advancement on its Path of Ascension.

  Ah, so just like my Danians then. Let’s get started, Valterra thought excitedly. He dove into the helpdesk and found the image of the Deeplight Stalker hovering in the air before him. He still didn’t quite understand what the space before him was, but his lack of knowledge didn’t inhibit his ability to use it. Krat’Imos had designed the space well. As Valterra began shifting things around, his attention turned to the Pool of Ascension waiting for him.

  There was quite a bit there, swirling inside the large insect’s core. There were way more factors present when he compared it to his Danians, so much so that it made his Core feel dizzy. As he slowly sifted through what he saw, he realized that he was looking at all the different species that made up his creature. Most were features from the Jeweled Skitterer and the Phoenix Cockroach waiting to Ascend further.

  That must be why I can’t receive those Frameworks again, Valterra realized. My creature already contains their entire Framework. They're simply in stasis until I pull aspects of them to the forefront.

  That thought sparked his interest, and as he found that the cockroach’s wings were an option, an idea came to him. He quickly moved into the flood of information once more to see if it could be done. To his surprise, although perhaps it shouldn’t have been, he found that the Framework was even more malleable when about to Ascend than it was normally. He was surprised that his Deeplight Stalkers also had a small store of potential saved up. Perhaps all of his Unique creations would.

  Valterra chuckled and got to work. He reinserted wings upon the Stalkers while making the body a tad smaller and more streamlined. He made the legs shorter but even sharper so that they could use all six to pierce and stab possible prey. There was also the added benefit of being able to cling to walls by stabbing into them.

  He had to use most of the Pool of Ascension to make the wings big enough and strong enough to carry the large insect, but realized pretty quickly that he could help that along by creating four of them in a similar way to his Danian Ants while saving a little bit of energy. Two larger ones in the front and two smaller ones towards the back turned out to be the most cost-efficient.

  Looking it over, Valterra was both satisfied and apprehensive. He didn’t know if his changes would be enough to push it up in Rank. It was what he wanted, though, so he spread what was left of the Pool, making it stronger and faster overall before releasing his grip on the Ascension.

  New Path of Ascension synthesized from an existing Framework during the process of Ascension! The Framework “Deeplight Stalker” may now Ascend into the following Framework:

  Deeplight Swarmer (Unique, Rank D - Iron)

  A Unique Ascension of the Deeplight Stalker, this creature has been granted wings with which to take to the air. Large and heavy, this insect hunts by using its caustic belch to cover and blind the enemy, after which it uses its spear-like appendages to carry away its semi-cooked meal. Quicker and faster than its size would make it appear to be, it is nonetheless easy to hear coming due to its distinct buzzing.

  Valterra nodded to himself, satisfied. It wasn’t perfect, but it would get the job done, and he now had another Iron-ranked creature to populate his Sixth Floor and any that came after. It was also uniquely his, as were the other Deeplight variants. He had needed some help from Qual’Dorn with the first ones, but he was pleased with how varied they were becoming. With more of them close to Ascending, he could create even more variants to fulfill his different desires for giant bugs.

  Having finished with the last of his Ascensions, he turned towards his final task before fixing his Dungeon. He had a certain guardian to bless.