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.

[If you'd gotten this option next time, you 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 it came up here…]

[The odds are diminished…]

[Right,] he nods.

Well damn.

[Is Fetid Diamond even shiny?] I ask.

All three of the golgari look away.

[It's more of a dull yellow-green,] Torrina mutters.

REJECTED, DAMMIT.

I really had my hopes up for the Diamond Soldier! The stats are great, the cash-ins are good, just the material is wrong! What a waste! If this costs me 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 what!

Next!

[Rare Evolution: All-Seeing Scout. +40 bonus to Cunning, +30 bonus to Will, +80 bonus to Might, +80 bonus 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 to view all things in the mind's eye.]

Wait… So becoming an 'All-Seeing Scout'… makes me blind?!

[Pretty much,] Granin says, [you'll be a bit like Crinis, except with much 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 Matrix is pretty much a must for this sort of build since your normal brain won't be able to interpret the scope of information that you'll be getting.]

Huh. So if I think about 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 the signals collected by the dishes and the matrix interprets it all. I mean, it sounds handy and all, but I'm not convinced that it's for me.

[This is actually strong,] Corun pipes up, [sensory upgrades are expensive, very much so, and a package like this is pretty much top of the line for a monster of your tier. You'd be impossible to sneak up on, and don't underestimate the benefits that these types of senses can have for mages.]

I turn to Granin.

[It's true,] he shrugs, [your sensitivity to mana will go way up. Forget Mana 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 effectively eliminate the weak point in your carapace with this evolution.]

That is an unexpected and potentially juicy side benefit. Initially I was quite disappointed in this evolution, but 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 the next evolution disappoints.

I hesitate for a moment.

[I'm not sure how much I'm going to tell you about the next evolution,] I tell the triad, [it has to do with my current species and there's a few things in there I'm not sure I want to share.]

[I wondered why you wouldn't let me take a look at your core,] Granin muses, stroking his chin, [I can make a few guesses, obviously, but I was never confident I was right.]

He turns to look at his triad mates. Torrina gives him a small nod and Corun shrugs, then Granin turns back to me with a smile.

[Our advice will obviously be limited without full information, but you have every right to your secrets. I will just say this, evolutions that go in a sequence, like from minor to major or young to mature, are usually better to be seen through all the way. There's a pattern or a set of benefits that the System intends will be completed over the course of multiple evolutions. If you bail part-way through, you generally won't get the full package that the System intended. Sometimes there are perfectly good reasons to go in a different direction though, so don't feel trapped.]

I nod my antennae.

[Thanks, Granin, and you guys also. I appreciate you respecting my boundaries.]

[Hey, this is your decision,] Granin tells me, [we're just here for the ride.]

[More like you want to stuff me on a throne.]

Granin laughs.

[More like I want you to climb onto the throne on your own. But that's still a long, long way off.]

Who knows how far off, I still don't even know how deep the Dungeon is. I asked Granin and he told me that he had no idea, apparently nobody did. According to what the Cult of the Worm knew, nobody had ever encountered the Ancients on their own strata, only in higher layers during particularly powerful waves, and of course during the Cataclysm. For all I know there's thirty strata and I won't reach the strength of an ancient until I'm tier fifty!

Bah! No more stalling. I'm nervous for this one. Okay. Here we go.

[Rare Evolution: Mature Colony Paragon. +40 bonus to Cunning, +40 Bonus to Willpower, +90 bonus to Might, +90 bonus to Toughness. The Colony Paragon grows in strength and stature, pioneering in all areas in which the Colony seeks to excel. A leader, a soldier and a symbol, the Paragon is one with the Colony and the Colony is one with the Paragon. The Collective Will Vestibule (formica sapiens) will be reforged into Soul Crystal (warning, this will reset all mutations). In addition, a Communal Spirit Nave will be attached.]

Uhhh, wot?