Ultimate Swarm Evolution

It had only been a few hours, and the hunts were returning successfully. Some brought rabbits, others monkeys, and snakes. But the most amazing catch was by far a Mornox that my children caught. It weighed ten times a cow and had approximately 700kg of Aether-dense meat alone. These rascals caught me a dinosaur!

So, obviously, I petted them a lot, even in front of the others! That should motivate the crowd. As the, ehm, Lion of this pack, of course, the first bite is mine. Infesting this beast is a blatant waste of meat. This big guy is for eating purposes only.

Moving closer, I carved a slab of meat from its tough hide. Of course, while it's alive, dead food just isn't as good for consumption; the Aether starts depleting from the corpse as soon as a creature dies, dissipating into Mana. Aether is a purer form of energy, and without a body to channel it, it turns into a lower, easier-to-exist form of energy: Mana.

[Quickly eating the pound of flesh, I get a notification]

[Notification: Aether Reserve Maxed, Please assign usage]

"Expand Aether reserves and increase strength," I order.

[Affirmative: Expanding Aether reserve and increasing Strength]

[Find a safe place and begin evolution]

"Not yet."

I carve out another slab of meat and eat it.

[Notification: Aether Reserve Maxed, Please assign usage]

"Expand Aether and Agility, also show Aether usage."

[Affirmative]

Picking out yet another piece of meat, I eat it, trying to get as much Aether as I can, going over my possible stockpile, compressing Aether to the maximum before evolution.

I eat again as the Marnox roars deafeningly, not that I care, it's prey.

[Notification: Aether Reserve Maxed, Please assign usage.

"Show Evolution choices."

[Affirmative]

[Checking Aether Reserves]

[Sequencing Aether Formations]

"Selected [Hive], Proceed."

[Hive Selected]

[Checking Aether…]

[Only Tier 1 available]

[Choose Evolution]:

[Hive Core]

Establish a central heart-node in a location. Enables underground resource generation, Aether processing, and limited Swarmling reproduction. Cannot spin complex threads without further evolution.

[Swarm Architecture I]

Allows drones to construct tunnels, walls, spawning pools, and basic organic structures using secreted Aether resin. Provides defensive value.

[Aether Sense]

Detect underground Aether veins and rich biological zones to fuel hive growth or accelerate evolution.

[Symbiotic Conduits]

Send organic tubes beneath the earth, allowing Aether to flow between hive nodes. Greatly improves resource distribution and regeneration over long distances.

Everything is useless without first establishing a core. I cannot consume so much Aether at once, nor digest this much meat. Hive Core will let me store it for later, keep evolving, or even use it to create more Swarmlings without a host… maybe even a brood mother.

"Evolve [Hive Core], proceed," I ordered.

[Affirmative]

[Find a safe place and begin evolution]

Turning around, I ordered the Swarm, "Children, keep that beast alive, stop the bleeding." Quickly following my orders, they used their deadly hooks as clippers to seal the wounds, standing still like statues.

"Good, so clever of you!" I smiled, showing off my sharp teeth.

Moving a bit inside, I thought of the system: "Begin evolution."

[Affirmative, beginning evolution]

My vision blanked as darkness settled, making me fall asleep instantly, feeling a cocoon burst from my back.

—

"Did you find out where it went?" the commander asked anxiously.

"It will take time, we are working on the issue, sir," the elven engineer replied. They were here to investigate the barrier's failure and gather information on the object that penetrated it.

Their task was already completed; after investigation, the spines were retrieved from the corpses and examined. Now the two new batches of marines being sent by the federation should be able to block at least two of these spines before being hit.

"That monster could be anywhere. Do you remember how many tunnels we found? That too freshly dug. Does that make you understand its ability to dig? It could be miles from here doing God knows what! The federation wants it caught," the commander pressed. He was extremely burdened by guilt after the fact.

"Like I said, sir, we are doing everything we can. We have exceeded our orders and can go back whenever we want. My team is only helping out of curiosity and possible merit later; please do not misunderstand," the elven engineer replied mechanically as he kept his focus on the screen, looking through data and running scenarios through software to find possible locations a tunnel by a creature like that could lead to.

The commander exhaled an exhausted breath; he hadn't slept in a long while and could use a nice nap. Slowly, he made his way out of the command center as he saw Mittens on the way—his cute blind cat.

Mittens had been acting weird for the last few days, possibly owing to its heat cycle. Slowly picking up the cute furball, the commander made his way to his bed chamber, laying down to rest. But maybe guilt weighed down on him too much, as no matter how much he turned, he couldn't get shut-eye.

Turning once more, his eyes locked on Mittens. The blind cat was looking through him better than the sharpest eye. Quickly turning around, the commander pulled over a blanket as he tried to sleep yet again.

——

[Name]: Veqty Quantzhui

[Race]: Swarm Mother

[Title]: The Last Primal

[Age]: 100000000(100 million Years)

[Spark]: Mother Of All

[Spark Slot 2]: ———

[Strength]: 17 —> 35

[Aether]: 20 —> 56

[Defense]: 39

[Agility]: 23 —> 37

[Stamina]: 13

[Luck]: 15

Active Skills:

[Ferocious Bite] | [Claws] | [Overdrive] | [Dig] | [Spines]

Passive Skills:

[Regenerate] | [Burrow] | [Queen's Knowledge] | [Command Swarm]

!{Notification: [Hive Core] moved to Mother of All's —> [Mother's Power]}

Waking up, I looked around and everything was as usual. The drones were tending to the farm, and the 54 Swarmlings were clamping the Mornox while the rest skittered here and there among the pile of corpses.

I need to build a Hive core to at least store all the Aether in these corpses.

"Drones, show me the progress you've made on our new lair location," I ordered a drone. I had previously told him to prepare a second lair far away for a Hive core. The first one wasn't safe and could be discovered by humans easily by following the crumb trail.

The second base was made after walking a few miles while using Swarming escorts and digging at the side of a small mountain for several more miles, creating an opening under a big tree. This way, no connecting tunnel was present, effectively bringing a dead end to the crumb trail.

The drone quickly led me to the new location as it struggled to lift through the opening but eventually made it past. After walking a few more miles, we reached a large opening perfect for a new base.

"Good job, my child," I lovingly caressed its carapace as it instinctively nuzzled closer.

Gathering Aether in my palms, I concentrated on making the [Hive Core] on Zaraka.

As soon as I shot the manipulated Aether onto the ground, a ball of flesh formed, pumping like a heart as it beat furiously. The heart kept growing until it was as big as a one-story suburban house, still pumping as it accumulated width and girth, thickening and pulsing with all its might but clearly struggling to reach its full potential.

"Children, throw ten corpses into the hive!" I ordered. The Hive needs them to grow fully, or it will grow prematurely and be filled with debuffs!

The Swarming quickly followed, dragging ten corpses of various animals—goats, rabbits, monkeys, and even a horse-like creature. They placed the corpses near the hive, which swiftly extended tentacles like tendrils toward them, slowly enveloping and pulling them into the structure until the animals vanished.

The Hive continued pulsing for a while longer as it spread its skin across the floor, covering the ground with black-brown flesh matter. This is called Aether Shroud or Swarm Shroud, spread by special structures and the Hive Core itself. It cloaks, transports Aether automatically to structures and locations, heals the Swarm, and offers many other benefits through different evolutions.

The Swarmlings seemed to love the Shroud as they ran in circles on it. I watched and laughed before focusing back on the Hive Core.

"This will be the Heart of the Swarm on Zaraka, second only to myself, and it must be protected," I announced to the Swarmlings, who cheered.

Khaarkkkkk!!!!

"Bring me the Mornax; I need to feast," I continued as the Swarmlings quickly rushed off to drag the creature.

Moving closer to the Hive Core, I placed one of my three hands on it, focusing on creating a channel between us. As soon as the Aether stabilized and a connection was established, I removed my hand and waited nearby for the food.

Being near the Hive Core will allow me to use its Aether reserves to evolve more in a single chrysalis, hastening the process toward a Brood Mother body. Right now, I'm like a bear on six feet, awkward and unnatural, but after reaching Brood Mother, I should be able to walk like a spider centaur, faster and more comfortable in my skin. As a former biped, walking like an animal feels rough.

With this thought in mind, I kept eating as much as I could.

+50 Aether

+40 Aether

+55 Aether

+50 Aether

+40 Aether

+47 Aether

+…

+…

+…

[Aether: 560/560]

[Notification: Aether Reserve Maxed, Please assign usage]

"Show Evolution Choices"

[Affirmative]

[Checking Aether Reserves]

[Sequencing Aether Formations]

[Please Choose Evolution Branch]:

[Memory] [Core] [Link] [Hive]

"Selected [Hive], Proceed."

[Core Selected]

[Checking Aether…]

[Only Tier 1 and 2 Available]

[Choose Evolution]:

[Tier 1]: Cost (50 Aether)

[Internal Aether Glands]

Stores up to 1000 additional Aether in secondary organs. Enables chaining skills more frequently at early stages.

[Bone Cleaver Claws]

Replace chitin claws with fused bone-edged claws. Attacks cause bleed over time. Claws regrow after breaking.

[Sensory Spine Array]

Grow three additional sensory quills from the neck. Gain enhanced motion detection, basic echolocation, and minor psychic ping resistance.

[Chitin Reinforcement I]

Hardened bone-armor forms along the spine and chest. +10% physical defense. Chitin reflects minor blunt trauma.

[Tier 2]: Cost (100 Aether)

[Subdermal Plating]

Grow layered bone beneath your carapace. +20% resistance to ballistic and blade damage.

[Throat Sac Evolution]

Grow a resonating gland for mid-range sonic bursts, granting an active skill 'Disruptor Boom'. Can disrupt weak shields and confuse small groups.

[Razor Spine Bloom]

Generates spines in sets of three. Burst-fire mode unlocked. Spines now split into micro-barbs inside targets.

[Spine Gland II: Piercing Strain]

Spines now puncture reinforced armor. +25% armor penetration. Slightly slower regeneration.

[Lung Carve Vents]

Develop bio-vents along the ribs to expel heated gas. Minor short-range area damage. Clears toxins and smoke from the area.

[Tier 2: Swarm Specific Race change]: Cost (200 Aether)

[Brood Mother]:

[Turret-Legs Mutation]

Insectoid legs thicken and form grippers to stabilize on the ground. +40% stability, allowing you to maximize overdrive output and fire deadlier spines. Increases ground speed and lets you anchor during attacks.

[Ovigerous Spine]

Develop an external sac beneath your tail that produces visible egg-pods. You may now lay up to 3 Swarmlings at will using Aether and biomass.

[Frill of Command]

Crown further extends into a display frill along your neck and back, used to signal the brood. Passively boosts morale and aggression of nearby swarm. Brood units gain increased aggression within 50 meters of you.

[Feeding Maw]

A secondary, ventral mouth opens below your primary. Used for direct feeding, draining prey, or recycling resources directly into gestation.

[Aether-Blessed Womb] (Rare)

Your womb becomes hyper-efficient. +50% carrying capacity for eggs, regeneration of brood increased by 25%. You may use the active ability 'Nest' to root in place for 60 seconds, massively boosting Aether regen and gestation, but becoming immobile.

--

"Select [Internal Aether Glands] [Subdermal Plating] [Throat Sac Evolution] [Razor Spine Bloom] [Brood Mother] for evolution and increase defense," I ordered after carefully considering the future.

Aether is a necessary resource, and having a 1000 Aether reserve at the cost of 50 Aether is a good idea, especially since it opens more choices later. Plating and throat sac are cautious choices; protection is appreciated, and the throat sac will disrupt anything enemies use to defend themselves.

Spine bloom was a surprise for me; it shouldn't be available before the Brood Mother evolution, but maybe it's because I'm a Swarm Mother by default. Spine bloom is like a cluster bomb, especially useful against giant mechs or ships. A single can spine can penetrate and then explode in corrosive barbs that destroy the heavy machines from within.

[Please choose a safe place for Evolution.]

"Evolve here," I reply.

[Affirmative Beginning evolution]

[Error…Swarm Mother overrides Brood Mother, Race change failed…]

[Checking…]

[Checking Alternative]

[Swarm Mother blocked hybrid…]

[Checking Alternative]

[Micro Changes Denied…]

[Checking Alternative]

[Continuing only Macro changes]

[Beginning Evolution]

Then the world blanked out once again.