'Are…are you sure?' said the daemon, sensing the Collector's intent. She stared nervously at the twin tusks, still remembering how powerful the elites were.
"I have calculated the risk. It is minimal," said the Collector.
Regardless, the Collector desired a sample of one of the elites even now, if only in honor of the formidable showing they had provided against the Collector.
The risk was also indeed minimal. The Collector was nearly fully regenerated due to the effects of the throne, and it could choose to only manifest one elite. Even if one elite went wild against it, the Collector could easily dispatch it in a one-on-one duel.
Thus, the Collector materialized the elite.
A single tusk shattered in a cloud of blue as a shockwave of energy burst forth. The elite materialized from this cloud, and its musclebound body and blank face stared at the Collector with jittery movements, wavering between standing still and immediate hostility.
Not complete control. But enough.
It seemed that without the lord's direct presence, the elite did not possess the mutation that took the form of tendrils upon its back. Likely, this meant it did not possess any regenerative properties anymore.
Any wounds the Collector inflicted upon the elite specimen would remain permanent unless it assumed the lord's form and core.
The Collector desired to preserve the specimen to large degree for the Collector intended to consume the tusks whole, entering them as full samples into its ossifier so that it could regrow them in their whole state on its body.
Later, when the Collector entered its evolutionary cocoon, it would be able to manifest the tusks on its own body, granting it access to two powerful units. Provided, of course, the Collector assumed the lord's core and genes.
The Collector swiped down with its regrown monomolecular claws at one of the elite's hands, severing it.
The elite did not react at all, though it did inch forwards in a slight sign of heightened aggression.
Nevertheless, it did not fully move in a manner capable of inducing harm to the Collector
The Collector devoured the large hand.
>>>
*Biomass gained (+10)*
Biomass Level: 300/100
*Genetic material obtained*
Stored Genetic Material:
-Black Ant
-Deer
-Black Hobgoblin
-Human
-Lesser Oni
-Frostborn Hobgoblin
-Horse
-Lesser Greatcentipede
-Lesser Greatbeetle
-Spitting Greatbeetle
-Leafblade Insect
-Frostborn Hobgoblin Thrall
-Vineswinger Goblin Champion [Core]
-Flametongue Salamander
-Windcutter Wildcat
-Shockstripe Eel
-Shaker Fish
-Firefly Shinchu
-Lurker
-Goblin Lord [Core]
-Goblin Elite
>>>
Curious.
The Collector noted that the goblin elite did not show up with a [Core] within its system.
Organisms that utilized cores actively with triggers and emotions showed up with the [Core] category, and these, the Collector had to create entirely new hearts to house.
But in specimen that possessed magical abilities that were simply a natural part of them, they did not appear in the [Core] category despite also technically possessing cores of their own.
This was due to a difference in how the magical powers in the two specimen types worked.
Those under the [Core] category were usually intelligent species and humanoids that actively required the circulation of emotions to channel their cores.
The other specimen, however, known among the humanoids as 'monsters', did not require any trigger to activate their cores to engage their magical powers. Such powers were simply ingrained in them, as part and parcel to them as were their jaws or claws.
This type of naturally inherent magic was classified by both the system and the tinkerers as Primal Magic. Incidentally, specimen that possessed primal magic would also enhance the Collector's Primal Density whereas [Core] specimen provided no growth to the attribute at all.
Thus, attempting to assume the powers of a [Core] was more resource intensive for to fully access the full range of their capabilities, the Collector had to not only take their form, but also slot in their core into one of its hearts.
This meant that the goblin elite were less tinkerer, less a common humanoid, and far more a monster.
Perhaps a quality that had to do with the fact that the elite specimen were of an age far bygone, indicating that the goblin species as a whole had progressively degenerated from natural creatures to tinkerers, weakening their raw strength greatly.
Even more of a reason to honor the elites into the Collective. The Collector cut off the tusks from the greatsword's pommel and devoured them also.
>>>
*Metalloglottic ossifier sample obtained*
--Runewood [Scrapped]
--Bone Binding Skull
--Volcanite
--Everfrost
--Abyssium
--Burial Tusks *NEW*
>>>
The Collector discarded the runewood from its ossifier for though it could amplify magical energy, the degree of amplification was not impressive, and the durability of the wood left much to be desired.
The burial tusks would be far more useful. Perhaps worth an entire adaptation on their own.
The Collector clicked its mandibles and stretched its muscles, reveling in its spoils of war.
It had obtained five exceptional genetic templates from the four-starred adventurer and his weapons.
The bone binding skull would allow the Collector a storage space that would only become more and more valuable as time progressed and the Collector obtained finer spoils from its victories.
It now had useful ossifier samples it could incorporate within itself. The Collector, for now, could only manifest small amounts of whatever sample its ossifier stored, making it highly impractical for armoring itself.
But it only needed to tip its thel in abyssium to vastly enhance the dominus-type magical influence the Collector could project.
And then these burial tusks.
Already, the elites within them, should the Collector decide to assume the goblin lord's core to control them, would provide exceptional combat units to assist the Collector. In terms of raw physical stats, it would be like three copies of the Collector bearing down on an enemy.
Regardless of the threats the Collector would face in the future, it possessed now a multitude of capabilities to deal with them.
The daemon female specimen slumped down to the floor, her shaky legs giving out under her. She stared down at her trembling legs with almost wondering eyes.
'I…I'm so sorry I can't keep up,' she said. She blinked, hard.
It was evident that the inefficiencies of her backwards evolutionary form had taken their toll on her, though this also due to the fact her musculature had largely atrophied from extended periods of time under restricted movement and malnourishment.
She had compensated for the deterioration of her physical abilities due to increasing hunger, thirst, and muscular fatigue through Sapia.
But now that she had exhausted through her mana reserves, the full brunt of both mental and physical exhaustion assailed her.
Her mana reserves were formidable ones, certainly, but not easily replenished like the Collector's own, and it would take her much time and rest to build herself back up to relatively efficient operating capacity.
The Collector weighed whether she would prove to be a continued useful asset.
She certainly was a wellspring of knowledge that the Collector could easily tap into, and she now proved that she was more than capable of applying herself in the throes of battle, greatly assisting the Collector's Sapia.
But these benefits would have to weigh against her physical limitations.
The Collector would have to provide sustenance for her.
Warmth and shelter for her in environments she could not handle with the fragility of her form.
Her need to slumber would delay or encumber the Collector even if it carried her.
Yet, thinking of these limitations and the future they would apply to made the Collector realize it had, for but a few seconds, put its prime mission to the back of its head.
The spoils of its victory had distracted its mind, and the prospect of surviving and growing ever stronger had taken hold of its attention away from the purpose it was created for.
Heresy again.
And yet, the Collector could not deny that this feeling…this feeling that the daemon had called 'disappointment' began to formulate in small measures within the Collector.
Disappointment that what it had fought for and earned would all be meaningless.
No, never meaningless.
All of this had been for the Grand Purpose.
The dawning of the Collective.
From the very beginning, from the moment the Collector had entered this atmosphere to fight one of the gods to when it crawled on the dirt as a grub to now, all of it had been for the same purpose.
This, the Collector assured itself of.
The Collector clicked its mandibles and moved past the female daemon, for if the Collector was now successful in contacting the Collective, she would no longer matter.
There would only be complete assimilation.
The daemon female specimen looked at the Collector as it slithered away, trying to will herself to float to it, but she no longer had the mana nor the physical strength. Instead, she floated for just a second before crashing back onto the ground again, gritting her teeth with heavy breaths.
She whimpered as she found herself unable to move and follow the Collector.
The Collector neared the edge of the swirling, rainbow-colored waters.
Yes, this was it. A tremendous amount of psionic power emanated from here.
Not comparable to a true warp gate but possessing of enough power for the Collector to send out a proper signal to the Collective.
The Collector stared at the moving, shimmering water for a split second of hesitation.
A second that mattered.
All of its sensitive hairs stood on end as the Collector felt an intense, almost oppressively heavy presence approaching.
A magical presence. A crackling sound echoed from the other end of the room, indicating another being had warped in, and as it did so, this presence only intensified.
Never before had the Collector ever felt its survival instincts calling to it so strongly.
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