First of all, these stats are insane. Look at these numbers! It wasn't as if the Juvenile Colony Paragon had bad bonuses to begin with, but this is taking it to another level. It feels like what Granin told me is true, but more than that, I can almost sense the System, the bearded one, urging me to stick to a path and see the evolutions through. I wonder if there's another Paragon type evolution to follow after this one? If so, how far does it go?

Questions, questions.

Beyond the mandible clacking stat gain, the Vestibule being cashed in is pretty much what I expected. It's the defining piece of the Paragon evolution and a key element of the species that clearly is going to be built on. The main issue I have is that I don't know whether or not 'soul crystal' is any good, or if I should be holding out for better. It certainly sounds good. Souls are powerful… right? I've certainly not heard of anything like it. There's no obvious demonic link to tie this to the third strata, or the fourth to be honest. Perhaps Granin can fill me in… do I ask?

I'm not sure exactly why I'm as hesitant as I am to reveal information about my species to Granin, Torrina and Corun. I trust them, and after everything that's happened, they've thrown their lot in behind me to a degree that only fanatical cultists could probably justify. On the other hand, there are aspects to the Paragon that I'm not totally comfortable with, like the Will of the Colony seeping into me constantly, a process that will probably only get worse with this new 'Spirit Nave', whatever that is.

For now, I won't ask. Perhaps if I get further into the evolution menu, I'll be able to sus something out about the crystal.

Come on then Gandalf, tell me something about this Nave. You were awfully quiet about it in the description!

[The Communal Spirit Nave acts as a channel for the energy of the Vestibule, directing and focusing it, concentrating it into a more dense and powerful energy.]

Huh. Interesting. So it's like an amplifier for the regenerative energy that the Vestibule already provides? That's nice, I can handle that. Nothing too… strange… about it. For a moment there I was worried I'd be hearing the voices of my sibling's spirits as well as their minds, and quite frankly, I think that would just about drive me nuts.

What do you have to say about the Soul Crystal then, oh beardy boy of the bristling brows?

[Soul Crystal: An exceptionally rare material of pure condensed souls. Soul Crystal is the perfect medium through which to move spiritual energy.]

Alright then. I'm going to assume that the energy gathered by the Vestibule counts as 'spiritual' energy, otherwise this upgrade would make little sense. Reading the description, there really doesn't seem to be any tie to the third or fourth strata that I can detect, which makes me wonder if this is actually a fifth strata material? If so, this is an absolute payday.

[All right, I have decided on my evolution,] I announce.

Granin smiles.

[I'm going to assume it's the last one then?] he asks.

I nod.

[Right,] he sighs, [I would love to know more about it, but I completely respect your desire for privacy. I hope you can give us some general information so we know what to expect and can offer suggestions before you go into the final phase of the menu?]

I give the triad the general information, such as the stats, and make a few allusions to the choice buffing certain advantages that I already have.

[Also, I don't want to expose too much here, but I suspect that the reset I've been offered might be from the fifth strata…]

All three of their eyes go wide at that and Granin whistles sharply.

[If that's true, it's a big deal. The types of matter found in the deeper parts of the Dungeon far outstrip anything you find higher up. Each level down is a real qualitative leap. The amount of evolutionary energy packed into that reset alone will make evolution worth the while, besides the rest of it.]

That's good to hear, makes me feel a little more comfortable and secure in my choice.

[Do you have any advice going into the next phase?] I ask.

The three of them confer for a few short minutes before they come back to me.

[Keep in mind the things we talked about and make sure you hit your stat goals. If you make it the values we talked about, you should be able to achieve what you want. The extra stats you get from this evolution help a lot and you can either put in the energy that we planned and push your numbers even higher, or you can spend that energy elsewhere, try and shore up a few weaknesses.]

[Good advice. Alright, I'm going in.]

Having confirmed my species, I'm taken deeper into the menu and the vast playground that is the manual evolution screen enfolds me within its embrace. I have quite a few decisions that need to be made at this point, but before I worry about any of that, I take a moment to admire the vast pool of evolutionary energy I have at my disposal. The core of Garralosh is paying dividends to me right now in the form of this enormous wealth, truly the most I could hope to extract from my current tier. With the bonus on top for max mutations, I have a lot of largesse to unload.

First things first, I need to spend my bonus stat points. I've spent a lot of my Might on increasing my size, getting as many stats as I could at the expense of getting larger. This time I feel comfortable concentrating more on increasing the density of my musculature. As I spend the free points, I can tell that my size is still going to increase significantly, but the overall strength I can exert skyrockets and my muscles compact and become more dense.

The Toughness I spread around fairly evenly, hardening my body overall and increasing the amount of punishment I can take. The exoskeleton thickens and hardens, the chitin on my legs grows tougher and my internal body grows ever so slightly more durable. Next is time for a big spend. The first thing I do is make all of my brains mutable, all four of them. It takes more energy to do that than I expected, I think just because brain matter and neurons are so much more complex than something like muscle fibre or chitin.

With that job done, I get to the more difficult task of allocating my bonus stats. The aim of the game here isn't to create more sub-brains, absolutely not. After chatting with Granin, I've come to understand that my earlier strategy to increase my brain power isn't the most efficient way, but with further investment, will pay off. I need each of my brains to be capable of weaving and handling mind magic constructs. This is going to take a ton of energy to achieve, even after the generous bonus stats from my evolution.

I get to work, beefing up each of my brains with additional brain matter and pumping up the Will investment in each. I decide not to hold back and push harder in this department, raising my mental power to the point where my suffering when trying to use the omni-elemental construct will be utterly scrubbed from my mind. It's not a sexy spend, but I'm satisfied with it. All in all, it costs me almost half of my available energy to achieve, but with this, my days of magical dominance are just beginning.

With what remains, I need to start shopping for my cash in option. There's so much to choose from here, but after I take the mandibles and carapace off the table, there are only a few main body parts for me to play with. In the end, I decide to focus on my antennae. It might seem like nothing, but my antennae have evolved to become a key component of my build. The future sight alone pulls its weight and is something I will absolutely reinvest in once I can. I'm a bit disappointed to see that the Spectrum crystal is outside of my budget. That would have been a real nice pickup, but sadly, it isn't to be. Instead, I look through the many possible options that are within my limits, and there are many.

Most of the shiny new antennae I have available to me are clearly from the third strata, with titles like 'Infernal Lattice Antennae', or 'Weave of Greed Antennae'. As little as I like the idea of these demonic sounding names being attached to me, I'm sure there's something I can find in here that is going to serve my purpose. I'm pretty open to the benefits I get, I don’t mind if it's something that helps my future sight, or something that helps my spellcasting, or even something that just improves my sense of smell to a high degree. There's a heap of options that give weird stuff, like giving my antennae the ability to blast enemies with fire, to turn any fire spell channelled through them into a more powerful infernal flame variant, even one that allows me to sense, of all things, people’s inner desires. What the heck do I care about people's inner desires?! I already get the wants of my family seeping into my head through the Vestibule! People outside of the family don't matter to the point I need to peek inside their head!

Bah. There has to be something I can find in here…

Aha! What have we here?

[Twilight Filament. A material with extreme sensitivity to vibrations and reacts to sensory input of all kinds.]

All kinds, eh? Including THE ECHOES OF THE FUTURE? I'm getting the sense (heh) that it will based on that vague, all-encompassing description. I feel good about it, and I'm happy to dodge some of the more bizarre and evil sounding options. What's up with these demons?! Lock that in.

Huh, what do you know? A little more energy left over after that one, which is a happy surprise. I think I'll make use of that and bulk up my physical stats a little more. This will be the evolution where I finally stamp my authority as a physical and mental powerhouse! Muahahahahaaaa! No longer a weak little hatchling, I'm going to be so mighty!

I eagerly look over my selections. I cannot wait to evolve!