Chapter 100: Predators

The Collector exited the Snowmound with its mana fully recharged its force of thirty-three evolved champions, one evolved elite, and elder in tow. A female champion carried the elder on her back, bundling him up in a series of insulating fur layers to ensure the cold environment did not compromise his health.

There were certain limitations imposed upon the Collector's mobility in harnessing this swarm of units. Mostly, these were limitations based upon the evolved specimens' physical needs. They required regular sustenance as well as period of rest within which to sleep and recharge their stamina.

Of course, now that the goblin variants were all evolved, they possessed far greater degrees of stamina and physical ability that would allow them to engage in treks that lasted throughout an entire day, but any longer than this, and their abilities could compromise.

"We shall move now," said the Collector, directing its voice primarily to the Carrier-unit elite. "I will limit my pace such that my flames will provide sufficient warmth to your brethren during night cycles when temperatures may lower to dangerous thresholds.

In maintaining bioluminescence and projection of heat, certain species of prey will no doubt find themselves attracted to our location.

These specimens, you will hunt and consume as sustenance if their genetic material is unworthy."

"Yes, king," said the elite.

"In order such that I may maintain more efficient speed, however, I will move ahead of you. Thus, the defense of the swarm lies vested upon you. Prioritize defense of the elder, for in information and capability to guide, he is invaluable."

"Nothing touch the elder, got it," said the elite.

"Due to allowing for greater freedom of thought and limiting the strength of magical connections between yourselves and this form, I cannot engage in remote psionic communications with you," said the Collector. "However, you will still be able to perceive my general direction across vast stretches of distance. Follow my form at all times.

When you halt for an extended period of time, I will assume that you have engaged in a period of rest for nourishment and sleep and limit my distance accordingly."

The Collector pointed to the Carrier unit elite's head, where at the back of his bald, tusked face, a tendril black jutted out and drooped down like a makeshift ponytail.

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"You alone, as designated Carrier-unit, I have evolved with a higher degree of connection to this form. This connection is not to such a degree that it robs you of your independent thought, thereby drastically increasing magical strain upon myself, but it is enough that you are able to send out signals of psionic distress to me."

The elite nodded in understanding.

"Utilize this signal sparingly when you face an enemy of such a scale that the entire swarm is threatened. Do not waste my time. Be efficient.

I shall allow an exception to utilize this signal when you encounter settlements of humans or similar humanoids. In this case, you will not engage with them and alert me.

Likewise, when I signal distress, you are to lead your swarm immediately to my location. Note further that distress alone does not indicate danger. It may be such that I require your presence for experimentation or information from the elder."

"Yes, my king," said the elite with a nodding bow.

"That is the extent of my current instruction. I will now travel towards the location of this 'Vimur' ahead of you. Maintain the integrity of this swarm."

The elite thumped his broad chest with a fist. "I will. With all my strength."

The Collector clicked the mandibles of its main skull and turned around before powering up mana into its carapace plated tail. Red coils of mana swirled around it as the muscles within swelled, engaging their coilboosters.

Melted and steaming snow crashed around the Collector as it leaped up with a burst of power before engaging its Firefly Shinchu wings. Four sets of fiery, rapidly fluttering insectoid wings buzzed around the Collector, loosing sparks and small tongues of flame all around it as it became a flying fireball soaring straight into the sky.

==

In the air, the Collector could not perceive much at all with its ocular systems. Even though the storm had passed, the weather conditions of this biome in general seemed to be that of perpetual snowfall in sufficient, constant quantities that visibility would always be highly limited.

This was especially true in higher altitudes.

Notably, this biome also scrambled the Collector's magical senses. Even when it expanded its magical energy out into a field in an attempt to extend its sensory perception, it found that the environment possessed a chaotic flow of magical energy that acted as a sort of interference, limiting magical sensing as well.

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The Collector calculated that were it to have possessed a lack of Primal Density, this biome would have even begun to directly sap mana from it, leeching its magical energy as it would have its heat. Primal Density, however, allowed it to resist detrimental effects that manifested from the environment to a degree.

It would seem that Primal Density, an attribute that the Collector did not quite grasp the full extent of yet, was at a rudimentary level a sort of field-based energy enriching and surrounding its every cell. This field of invisible magical energy provided a barrier that repelled magical wavelengths that did not originate from natural developments within the body.

As a result, the magic of sorcerers grew less efficient in interacting with cells charged with Primal Density.

In summation, as of now, the Collector determined the utility of Primal Density as an ever active barrier useful against certain detrimental environmental phenomena and humanoid magic known as 'sorcery'.

There was no cost to upkeep Primal Density.

When the Collector had emerged from its magical evolutionary cocoon back in the Darkwoods, Primal Density had infused into its being naturally, likely jumpstarting the Collector's capacity to interact with mana as well by enriching its cells with magic sensitivity.

Where exactly this magical attribute originated from, the Collector could not entirely be sure. For now, it understood that every monster removed from tinkerers possessed Primal Density to some degree.

Regardless, with weather conditions as they were, the Collector could not see the ground from the air, but at the same time, none from the ground could easily perceive the Collector. This fact coupled with the information that there was little population density of tinkerers in this area gave the Collector reasonable confidence to engage in aerial transport.

Of course, the Collector did not move at full speed, for then it would leave its goblin swarm far too behind. It instead kept a pace that approximated to 66% of its top movement speed, utilizing the extra time it possessed to occasionally hover to the ground and investigate.

From these investigations, the Collector found traces of prey animals. Four legged, hooved packs of herbivores with icy droppings that indicated a diet largely comprised of hardy, frozen grasses dug up from underneath the snow.

The occasional tracks of a Frostboar. Small pits in the snow where thickly furred marsupials slept.

However, these prey animals were not worthy of the Collector's time. They possessed no combative capability nor any truly useful adaptations.

These creatures, the Collector noted the goblin tribe would have hunted, even when they were unevolved. Thus, they were weak and magically stunted.

Half a day into travel, the Collector noted the presence of a predator specimen. Large, feline tracks in the snow with blood spatters yet to be covered up. A fresh presence.

The Collector hunched over in the snow, analyzing, and then determined that the tracks belonged to a specimen that would roughly possess the same mass as the Collector, indicating a significant degree of muscular strength.

In addition, there were faint traces of magical energy remaining within the tracks.

All of these details implied a specimen more worthy of attention. The Collector clapped its hands together, and with that motion, the mass gathering of Snow Sprites that by now formed a vortex of blue flakes instantly dissipated around it.

This method of dispersing the Snow Sprites, the Collector had learned from the elder. However, it could only work with those that had been touched by the Shadows, and as the Collector had assimilated a portion of their hivemind, it qualified.

By spending time in the air, the Collector had determined by now that there were few aerial threats in this biome. Thus, when it spent time airborne, it allowed Snow Sprites to accumulate and funnel in mana to the Collector.

However, when the Collector landed, it dispelled them to maintain a minimized presence.

The Collector made sure that the last of the Snow Sprites faded away, catching the whistling winds billowing around the snowy landscape and fading away into the distance.

The Collector followed the tracks, stalking the predator as it slinked down low into the snow, limiting the light from its chest orb into a dull glimmer and turning off its aura of flames.

The Flametongue Salamander's naturally high internal temperature maintained further by the Firefly Shinchu's chest orb circulated enough passive warmth through the Collector to grant it thirty minutes of unimpeded movement without its flame aura.

This would be more than enough time. The predator specimen was no more than five minutes away, judging by a quick calculation of the depth of the tracks, freshness of blood, and the rate of snow and ice accumulation from the weather.

Plated in white that camouflaged in the snow, the Collector became a silent spectre, a phantom that snaked its way through the endless winter land without making a single sound.

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