Intelligent Design: A Monster Evolution LitRPG

David's eyes fluttered open as the first rays of dawn crept over the horizon. He found himself buried under a pile of Cuddlebugs, their warm, fuzzy bodies providing an oddly comforting weight. The air was thick with moisture, leaving everything slightly damp and uncomfortable.

With a groan, David extricated himself from the furry pile, stretching like an oversized, winged cat. His joints popped and cracked as he worked out the kinks, earning a few sleepy chirps from the disturbed Cuddlebugs. They tumbled into a heap, somehow managing to scoot together and reform their cuddle puddle without fully waking. David blinked owlishly at the display, his brain still struggling to boot up.

I swear, these little gremlins could sleep through the apocalypse. Oh, wait. I think I almost did that. Heheheh…bleh.

He sat there for a good while, yawning and blinking groggily as his mind slowly came online. It had been his deepest sleep in ages, lulled into relaxation by the storm's steady rhythm and the Cuddlebugs' warmth. And then there was the cuddling with Claire...

The memory hit him like a splash of cold water. David's ears twitched as he recalled leaning against Claire's bulk, her scales surprisingly warm and comforting. He quickly rationalized it away - after all, he slept on top of her all the time. What was a little leaning between friends?

Still, he couldn't deny the warm, fuzzy feeling that settled in his chest at the thought.

Just as David was starting to enjoy his peaceful morning, reality crashed down on him like an avalanche. The boss run. His stomach did a somersault, a mixture of nervous energy and... excitement?

Well, that's new. When did I start looking forward to potentially lethal encounters again?

David realized, with no small amount of surprise, that he'd grown to enjoy the challenge. Not in a masochistic way - he certainly didn't relish the pain or fear. But there was something primally satisfying about emerging victorious, especially when he managed to outmaneuver much larger opponents.

He braced himself, half-expecting Spooky to surface at the thought of impending violence aimed at such a superior enemy. But there was only silence. David took a moment to reflect on just how bizarre that whole situation with Spooky had been - instincts so strong they'd manifested as an almost separate personality.

It was never really separate, though, was it? Just me, unable to accept that part of myself.

He didn't miss Spooky, exactly, but he had to admit that finally coming to terms with himself had quieted those intrusive urges almost completely. It hadn't been an alien presence in his mind, just his own inability to internalize his willingness to act out necessary violence when pushed to the brink.

David mentally raised a toast to Spooky - to himself, really - for growing enough to accept the world for what it was now. He acknowledged that taking Xi's offered evolution had definitely helped curtail Omega's more violent influences, which had been at odds with his own personality to an extreme degree.

It kinda makes sense that the meanest one is in charge…wait, is Omega actually in charge? Xi’s bullshit seemed to hint that they weren’t all in cahoots with each other more than absolutely necessary. Eh, I’ll worry about that later. One thing I definitely dont want is to be more involved in Overseer shenanigans.

For a few precious moments, David allowed himself to simply exist. He breathed in the crisp, post-storm air, rich with the scent of damp earth and new growth. Creatures tentatively began their morning songs, as if testing whether it was safe to emerge after the night's tempest. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, carrying with it the promise of a beautiful day.

It's almost easy to forget the world's gone to hell when it puts on a show like this.

Eventually, the peaceful moment had to end. David turned his attention to Claire's slumbering form, her massive bulk rising and falling with each breath. He couldn't help but grin as he noticed a small stream of drool pooling beneath her slightly open jaws.

"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," David chirped, poking Claire's hide with his wing spikes. "Time to face another day in paradise."

Claire's eyes snapped open, immediately alert. "Wha- huh?" she mumbled, her head swiveling to face David. "Oh, it's just you. What's got you up so early, David?"

David shrugged, his wings rustling. "Oh, you know, just the usual. Impending boss battles, possible death, the thrill of unending horror looming over us. The simple joys of monster life."

Claire snorted, a puff of warm air ruffling David's fur. "Ah, yes. Just another Tuesday for us, isn't it?"

As Claire began to shake off the last vestiges of sleep, David found his gaze drawn to the makeshift map on the wall. The crude drawings seemed to leer at him in the early morning light, a stark reminder of the challenges that lay ahead. His gaze lingered on the crude drawing marking his target, and his mane ruffled a bit in anticipation.

"So," Claire rumbled, following David's gaze, "today's the day, huh? You sure about this Hive Queen plan?"

David nodded, a determined set to his jaw. "As sure as I can be about anything these days. Besides," he added with a grin, "if it all goes sideways, I've got a dinosaur-sized backup plan."

Claire rolled her eyes, but David could see the hint of a smile tugging at her reptilian features. "Just don't expect me to come swooping in like some scaly knight in shining armor. I don't do the whole 'damsel in distress' rescue thing. The dragon in question here was pretty clear about this not being a group activity."

"Noted," David chuckled. "I'll make sure to be my own self-rescuing princess."

As they bantered, the Cuddlebugs began to stir. The tiny creatures stretched and yawned, their adorable display at odds with the deadly potential David knew they possessed. The newly Empowered ones immediately snapped to attention, their beady eyes scanning for potential threats.

"At ease, soldiers," David quipped. "No imminent danger, unless you count Claire's morning breath."

Claire's snout speared out, narrowly missing David as he danced away from the aggressive booping with a laugh. "Watch it, bat boy. I might just decide you look like breakfast."

As the lean-to came fully to life, David felt a surge of affection for this odd little family he'd cobbled together. A dinosaur, a swarm of deadly fuzzballs, and one very confused bat-monster. It wasn't conventional, but then again, nothing about their lives was.

"Alright, team," David announced, flapping his wings with a crack for emphasis. "Time to gear up for Operation Bug Zapper. Any last-minute advice for your fearless leader?"

The Cuddlebugs chirped and squeaked, some offering what sounded suspiciously like actual suggestions that all boiled down to ‘Bite the bad things real good’. Claire just shook her head, a mixture of amusement and concern in her eyes.

"Yeah, I've got some advice," she said. "Don't die. And if you do die, I'll kill you myself."

David grinned, his fangs glinting in the early morning light. "Duly noted. Now, to practice my bug impression! I need to nail this pheromone thing if I'm going to infiltrate Castle Creepy-Crawly."

As the began his final preparations, David couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building in his chest. This wasn't just about surviving anymore. It was about proving himself, about freeing himself from the potential backlash of failure…and just maybe regaining his freedom from the clutches of Big Red.

And if he happened to look incredibly cool while doing it? Well, that was just a bonus.

David took a deep breath, his wings twitching with nervous energy. As Claire opened her mouth to offer more last-minute advice, he surprised her with a full-on hug around her massive snout. The sudden display of affection caught her off guard, and for a moment, she froze. But then a low, happy rumble vibrated through her body, sounding like boulders tumbling down a hill.

"Look," David said, his voice muffled against her scales, "I know I've got some wiggle room on the deadline, but we can't afford to dick around. Wave Two is coming, and we've got shit to do. I want to swing by Riverport, see how everyone's doing. Maybe they've learned some new tricks, you never know anymore. Maybe someone figured out how to make real spells with Wildsoul energy or something."

He pulled back, meeting Claire's concerned gaze. "Plus, I haven't forgotten about finding your family. Now that I've got my growing army of furry spies, we can keep an eye on multiple spots at once. Who knows? Maybe some of our loved ones will hatch into Wave 2. I mean, that would kinda suck, but be nice in it’s own way."

David snickered at the thought of his mother waking as a Battle-Goose or something, but the nervous energy thrumming through his wings betrayed his true feelings. Claire sniffed, her expression a battleground of worry and barely contained rage at the situation.

"You better not pull any of your usual bullshit," she growled, her voice thick with emotion she couldn't physically express through tears. "I swear, if you go charging in there like an idiot-"

David cut her off with a laugh. "Relax, fatty. I'm a Deceiver now, remember? I plan on living up to the name. Sneak in, copy the scent, scout the place out, then haul ass outta there to come up with an actual plan. No headlong, screaming assaults this time."

Claire sniffed again, her nostrils flaring. "You'd better not. Now get moving before I change my mind and sit on you to keep you here. And... I'll try to have something for you when you get back."

David's ears perked up at that. "Ooh, a surprise? If it's food-related, I wouldn't say no to one of those big cow things. Just saying." He felt a string of drool starting to dangle from his jaws at the thought, and quickly swallowed before he started leaking Miasma like a fog machine.

Claire snorted a laugh, shaking her head. "Just go, you idiot. And come back in one piece, or I'll put you back together just to tear you apart myself."

With a nod, David recalled his Cuddlebugs, and scampered outside the lean-to toward open ground. The tiny creatures latched onto him like furry paratroopers, hissing with excitement as they felt his will to violence through their mental link. He took a deep breath, infusing his wings with Wildsoul energy.

With a powerful flap that kicked up a wave of slightly muddy debris, David launched himself into the air. He rocketed away at top speed, partly to make an impressive exit and partly because he was afraid he'd lose his nerve if he hung around any longer.

Okay, now to make a beeline straight fo– Hah. That’s a good one, I’ll have to remember that for later. I can just imagine the look on Claire’s face when I tell her. I’m convinced I can make her roll her eyes so hard they’ll get stuck like that one of these days. Hah!

He navigated by the now-familiar landmarks below, following a marshy river that snaked along the base of the mountains. The flight took most of the morning, but he barely felt any strain from it at all between his upgraded flight and vast stamina pool. He glided lazily, surfing the early morning air currents and updrafts that rose from the swamp to clash with the cool air coming off the mountains.

Finally, he spotted his target - a dense section of relatively dry swamp connecting to nearby foothills.

Even from his lofty altitude, David could almost hear the buzz of insects. The memory of those grotesquely oversized bugs sent a shiver down his spine and ruffled almost all his fur. Pushing the thought aside, he tucked his wings and dove, reveling in the weightless sensation. He strangled the urge to whoop and holler like he usually did during such maneuvers. Stealth was key here, after all.

Leveling out just shy of the treeline, David landed silently at the edge of the dense copse he knew concealed the Hive. He purposely landed far enough away that he didn’t receive the Area Boss warning, not willing to inadvertently trigger any sort of System Fuckery while he was still snooping around. Sure enough, lines of worker insects that looked like ants on steroids marched to and fro, carrying plant matter and small animal carcasses. Winged monstrosities that bore a passing resemblance to bees buzzed about haphazardly, their prominent pincers and stingers making David's hide itch just looking at them.

Early warning system, maybe? Or some kind of aerial defense force? Either way, they look about as friendly as a cactus in a balloon factory. I wonder where all those nasty beetle things went?

For a brief moment, David considered waiting until nightfall. Then he shook his head, realizing he had all day to formulate a plan if needed. No sense in wasting daylight, especially when he didn't really know what he was up against except for 'A whole buttload of bugs'. He was absolutely resolved to play this smart, but found himself humming the theme from a popular spy movie under his breath as he imagined sneaking in along with the line of insects.

In his mind's eye, he saw himself shuffling along with the worker ants, stalks of grass stuffed into his ears to mimic antennae. He'd nod casually to passing bugs, maybe even throw in a secret antenna-shake handshake.

Why yes, I too am Bug. Just your average, everyday, six-legged Joe. Say, comrades, what's your favorite weak point in our defenses? Mine's the gaping hole we leave unguarded every third Tuesday. Ha ha, classic Hive, am I right?

David snickered to himself, imagining the scene playing out like some bizarre insect version of a Cold War spy flick. He could almost hear the dramatic voiceover:

In a world where giant bugs rule and bats must pretend to be beetles, one winged mammal dares to infiltrate the hive. David stars in... "From Redfield with Compound Eyes."

He shook his head, grinning despite the gravity of the situation. "Focus, David," he muttered to himself. "You're here to scout, not write the script for the world's weirdest knockoff."

Still, as he settled in to observe the insect traffic below, he couldn't help but continue the mental movie. Maybe he'd need a catchy one-liner for when he finally faced the Hive Queen. Something like, ‘Looks like your reign is about to bee over.’ No, too cheesy. "Sorry to bug you, but you’ll bee abdicating soon." Eh, needs work.

David sighed, realizing he was procrastinating. But hey, if you can't laugh in the face of certain doom, what's the point of being a bat monster anyway?

With a series of quick mental commands, David dispatched his Cuddlebugs. The Empowered ones took point, leading their smaller brethren on a stealth mission to retrieve an ant-thing or bee-thing - alive. He remembered all too well how the death-scent of those mutant dragonflies had drawn a massive swarm weeks ago. No need to ring the dinner bell just yet.

As his furry spies melted into the underbrush, David settled in to wait. He found a comfy spot under a nearby tree, his dark fur rippling and blending seamlessly with the shadows. From his position, he had a clear view of the insect highway below.

Watching the grotesque parade, a thought struck him. Here he was, a bat-monster commanding a small force of deadly furballs, about to infiltrate a hive of mutant insects. And this, somehow, was his new normal.

If someone had told me a few months ago that this would be my life, I'd have asked what they were smoking and where I could get some.

David shook off the moment of existential weirdness, focusing instead on the task at hand. As he waited for his Cuddlebugs to return, he began to practice modulating his pheromones, trying to mimic the scents wafting up from the insect throng below. He was met with conflicting results, one of which made him gag wretchedly at his own smell as he ironically put a little bit too much stank on the attempt.

Alright, Hive Queen. Let's see who's got the smarter swarm. My money is on the Cuddlebugs, of course. Summoned them myself, and spared no expense.

The Cuddlebugs soon began trickling back, a few of the 'normal' ones returning first. They looked a bit sulky, chirping apologetically as they nestled into the shadow of David's wings. He shrugged, not too worried about their lack of success. After all, he'd half expected something like this to happen.

Can't win 'em all, little buddies. A for effort, though.

About twenty minutes later, the rest of the group returned. Three of the Empowered Cuddlebugs were carrying both a bee-thing and an ant-thing, working together in teams like tiny, furry stevedores. The rest of the swarm scampered ahead, returning with excited but quiet squeaks of delight.

David's eyes widened as he took in the state of their captives. The bee-thing's wings had been completely torn off, and its stinger was conspicuously absent. Nasty ichor oozed from the wounds, but thankfully, it didn't carry that "fuck this general area" smell he'd been worried about. The ant-thing hadn't fared much better, reduced to a legless body that looked like a reject from a buggy version of a television show about unappetizing food.

Well, shit. Remind me never to piss off the Empowered ones. They don't mess around.

With surprising efficiency, the Empowered Cuddlebugs wedged both struggling creatures into the lower branches of the tree David was lurking under, flipping them onto their backs so they couldn't right themselves and escape. David found himself nodding in approval, genuinely impressed with how quickly and effectively they'd pulled off the mission.

"Nice work, team," he whispered, doling out praise like candy on Halloween. "Didn't even have to bolt with our prizes. You little ninjas are getting scary good at this stealth stuff."

The Cuddlebugs preened under his praise, their chests puffing out with pride. Even the ones who'd come back empty-handed perked up, basking in the group's success.

Alright, time to put my money where my nose is.

David leaned in close to the captive insects, preparing to sniff and copy their scent. He started with the ant-thing, figuring it might be a bit less aggressive given its current legless state.

Big mistake.

As he brought his nose close to the creature, its powerful mandibles shot out faster than he could blink. There was a sharp pinch, and David jerked back with a muffled yelp.

"Son of a-" he hissed, rubbing his throbbing nose. The ant-thing's pinchers were still clamped firmly on the tip of his snout, waving back and forth like some kind of horribly aggressive burrito.

The Cuddlebugs erupted into a chorus of concerned chirps and squeaks, with more than a few sounding suspiciously like snickers. David glared at them, but couldn't keep the amusement out of his voice.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, furballs. Your fearless leader just got owned by half an ant. Real smooth, David. Real smooth."

As he gingerly pried the pinchers off his nose, David couldn't help but chuckle at the absurdity of it all. Here he was, about to infiltrate a hive of mutant bugs, and he couldn't even handle a legless ant without getting nipped.

If this is how the recon is going, this whole 'defeat the Hive Queen' thing is gonna be a real riot.

Shaking his head, David steeled himself for another attempt. This time, he'd be more careful. After all, he had a bug party to crash, and he wasn't about to let a little thing like getting his nose pinched stop him.

Alright, take two. Let's try this again, preferably without the impromptu nose piercing.