The Collector ended up on the sheer cliff face of the ravine, held on to the wall through the remaining three of its arakka legs and the support of one of its arms.
It was difficult to scale cliff faces now with the loss of three arakka legs, but this would be the last time it would have to deal with this damaged state before its new evolution.
A few meters beside the Collector, the purple skinned variant lay strapped to the cliff face by strands of arakka silk. The bonds prevented her from both moving and falling to her inevitable demise to the rushing rapids below.
The Collector clicked its mandibles. It had decided to evolve here for the sound of the rapids was such that it would mask any potential noises of metamorphosis.
In addition, the nature of the relatively shallow rapids indicated that whatever traveled through the current below was not going to be large, especially not large enough to jump up and threaten the Collector in its evolutionary cocoon.
The foam of water crashing against the stony face of the cliff also frothed up a misty fog that clouded the Collector, obscuring it against visual identification.
'What are we doing?' said the purple skinned specimen. She looked at the Collector, purple eyes settling on its three mangled arakka legs, cracked left arm, torn tail and ripped wing. 'You're hurt. Are you…are you okay?'
"I may mediate the degrees of pain I am capable of processing. That is one of many capabilities that sets me apart from you undeveloped tinkerers. And I am to engage in what designates me as a superior even among the vast body of the Collective: instantaneous evolution.
The process will take anywhere between thirty minutes to over an hour.
Keep silent during this period of time. Do not struggle. Minimize your presence."
The specimen nodded, and the Collector began to metamorphose.
It bowed its head towards its chest, and the glowing light emanating from its yellow compound eyes dimmed to nothingness.
Pores in the Collector's carapace opened up, oozing out fleshy mass that quickly encased the Collector, covering the entirety of its three meter form in a semicircle of veiny, beating flesh that anchored itself to the side of the cliff through adhesive tendrils that bored through the rock, hooking into it.
Within its evolutionary cocoon, the Collector pondered its next evolution. This one was far more significant than its prior ones, for it had obtained quite a few unique genetic material samples.
It perused its collection.
>>>
Stored Genetic Material:
-Black Ant
-Black Hobgoblin
-Human
-Lesser Oni
-Frostborn Hobgoblin
-Horse
-Daemon
-Dullscale Rohu
-Lesser Greatcentipede
-Lesser Greatbeetle
-Spitting Greatbeetle
-Leafblade Insect
-Assassin Bugbrute
>>>
Quite a few genetic samples that were utterly useless.
When the Collector reached greater metamorphosis levels and obtained more of its adaptations, it could eventually work up to creating a limited number of attack drones.
These, the Collector could imbue with genetic samples it did not need. But until then, the Collector had to focus upon itself.
Firstly, the Collector automatically included the formidable Assassin Bugbrute into its new form, utilizing it as a genetic base for it was by far and large the strongest specimen in the collection.
The Collector analyzed the bugbrute's abilities, gaining greater understanding of them.
The bugbrute was most at home nearby aquatic environments, often living in swamps or murkier waters and acting as an ambush predator. Its sturdy carapace was smoothened and coated with a hydrophobic chemical layer, making them sleek and efficient movers in water.
However, they were not fully suited to water, and required land to breathe.
The addition of the Dullscale Rohu's gills, fins, and tail would easily smoothen out these limitations and allow the Collector to become fully capable of traversing aquatic biomes.
The bugbrute possessed formidable combat capabilities with its spiked armor and oversized front legs that acted like spiked clubs, but what was even more interesting was its proboscis.
The proboscis was capable of injecting a liquid that preserved flesh, but in controlled capacities, this liquid could hijack nervous systems.
This ability was magical in nature, the Collector came to realize, and would require it to first open its core and gain access to spirit roots beforehand, but this would come soon enough.
Unfortunately, the liquid was not sufficiently advanced enough to manifest effects close to complete mental manipulation.
It worked only upon corpses, the liquid filling intact brains and programming them to perform set patterns of extremely simple actions such as cries for help.
But perhaps, with the induction of Daemon genetic material and their inhera ability known as Sapia, the Collector could achieve something more.
Assassin Bugbrute. Dullscale Rohu. Daemon.
One more piece of genetic material to complete the Collector's new form. The new insectoid specimen it had consumed in its most recent venture to the Darkwoods were all minimally useful.
The leafblade insect could produce blades of carapace from its front legs.
The spitting greatbeetle could eject boiling hot chemical irritants from its abdomen.
The greatcentipede possessed a potent neurotoxin in its fangs.
Yet, these competed against the immense versatility granted by keeping either the jumping arakka or stonecrusher beetle genes.
The Collector's fetal, orb-like form pulsed under its cocoon.
It decided to keep the arakka genes. The arakka simply provided too much. Six additional sturdy limbs that could be utilized for movement, defense, and offense. A spinneret that produced extraordinarily durable silk.
It would be a shame to let go of the stonecrusher beetle's wings, but those wings could not allow for sustained and complete flight in the first place.
In addition, flight was something the Collector could easily consider later, when it was stronger and more confident in being spotted in the air.
With its evolution decided, the Collector continued to metamorphose. Meshing the variety of insectoid, piscine, and humanoid genes would take time.
But well worth the wait.
==
Metamorphosis Level 5>6
Biomass Level: 120/100> 10/100
Stored Genetic Material:
-Black Ant
-Black Hobgoblin
-Human
-Lesser Oni
-Frostborn Hobgoblin
-Horse
-Lesser Greatcentipede
-Lesser Greatbeetle
-Spitting Greatbeetle
-Leafblade Insect
Adaptations:
-Ultrafiber Muscles Rank 5>6.4 [Gene boost from compatible specimen: Daemon (0.2), Dullscale Rohu (0.2)]
--Coilboosters
-Autonomic Neuro-Bodily Matrix*NEW*
*[An internal system that regulates finer control of certain bodily processes. Mostly useful for gaining sub-adaptations that enhance autonomic functions such as the digestive, circulatory, and respiratory systems.]*
--Metalloglottic Ossifier *NEW*
*[Allows for the ingestion of minerals and metals and their replication in minute amounts throughout the body]*
<External Systems>
-Sensitive Hairs Rank 4>5.2 [Gene boost from compatible specimen: Assassin Bugbrute (0.2)]
--Quill Spray *NEW*
*[Sensitive hairs have now gained greater structural stiffness. The capacity to unleash the hairs in short sprays unlocked] *
-Organic Hyperalloy Carapace Rank 4>5.4 [Gene boost from compatible specimen: Assassin Bugbrute (0.2), Dullscale Rohu (0.2)]
--Longchain Chitinous Sublayer *NEW*
*[Development of a longchain structured chitin mesh underneath the hardened carapace. Longchain structure extremely efficient in distributing blunt force trauma, prevents permeation into softer flesh beneath. However, little resistance to piercing force.]*
<Weapons Systems>
-Monomolecular Claws Rank 3>4.4 (Gene boost from compatible specimen: Assassin Bugbrute (0.2), Daemon (0.2)
-Pyrocatalytic Glands Rank 2>3
<Native Adaptations>
-???
-???*NEW*
Current Form:
Assassin Bugbrute/Daemon/Dullscale Rohu/Jumping Arakka
>>>
At the eve of an hour, the Collector's evolutionary cocoon had swelled into a size similar to its prior metamorphosis level for it wished to retain similar physical dimensions.
Still, the cocoon was easily large enough to have swallowed up six humans comfortably, and the tips of the tendrils rooting the ball of evolutionary mass to the cliff face reached just shy of the purple skinned specimen.
The cocoon beat rapidly, far faster than it usually did, wriggling in deep convulsions around the Collector's fetal form. The Collector sensed that the cocoon was straining itself as it processed the Collector's new form.
Odd.
Re-developing its Autonomic Neuro-Bodily Matrix adaptation was a significant effort as it was one of three 'base' adaptations that widely encompassing parts of the Collector such as the autonomic nervous system, endocrinal system, and nervous system.
These base adaptations provided the foundation for all other adaptations, being pre-requisites for many future primary and sub-adaptations, one of which was regeneration.
Still, that alone should not have caused this irregularity.
This level of strain in the evolutionary process did not occur until much later metamorphosis levels when enormous quantities of biomass and genetic samples came into play.
Yet, the Collector did not have much time to ponder this irregularity before the cocoon halted beating in a sudden instant before bursting, popping like a balloon as flesh ruptured.
The Collector emerged from a shower of steaming, thick amniotic fluid that crashed down to the rushing waters below.
Before the Collector itself fell, it oriented itself in the air, slamming a fist and six arakka legs into the cliff face to anchor itself. It clicked its mandibles, content with its new form.
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