Path to the Apocalypse

It was Monday and Chris was in the middle of mechanics class when feelings of anticipation began to trickle in from his connection to Jello. It looked like Jello was close to finishing her mutation, which meant he should be close to finishing his own. *Dyrdek, you're up. I'm going to go check on my body.* Chris announced before slipping out of Dyrdek's mind and returning to his own. Dyrdek sat up straight in the chair, focusing on the lesson so he could send the information to Chris later.

Chris created himself a body in the space and opened a portal next to Jacobs, causing him to flinch slightly before he realized it was Chris. He'd gotten somewhat used to the random portals over the past week, but having something appear out of nowhere right next to you was never going to be comfortable. “Jello just woke up. Any clue how much longer we have?”

“I couldn't say.” Jacobs replied. “Your body has been almost fully formed for almost a day now, but there are still minute developments occurring all over. Essentially you're already a finished product, it's just a question of how long it will take until the finishing touches are done.”

“Gotcha.” Chris sighed, settling in to wait. “Any idea what I'm going to look like?”

Jacobs grinned. “From what we can see, you're going to be terrifying. It seems the mutation process designed your new form to account for your capacity to transform, as many systems necessary for long-term sustainability have been discarded in favor of immediate power. I'm not certain you'll be able to remain in this form for longer than half an hour at a time before you need to revert to your human form to recharge, but in that half an hour, you will be a terror!”

Chris nodded appreciatively. That was exactly what he needed his new form for. He didn't need to live in it, he just needed power, the more the better. “Any clue what tier it will be?”

“Definitely at least mid-tier, but otherwise there are too many factors involved to say.” Jacobs shrugged. “We'll need to head to the ability management office to know for sure.”

“I suppose I should have called that.” Chris agreed. If power could be so easily determined by just scanning people, the ability management department wouldn't be a thing. Or at least it'd be a lot different.

“It's like waiting to open a present, isn't it?!?” Jacobs rubbed his hands together with an almost giddy excitement. “I can't wait to get this data back to the lab!”

“What are you hoping to actually learn from this?” Chris asked curiously.

“If nothing else, it will help us learn more about the ecosystem of the Maze, which will help us manage it more efficiently. Depending on how efficient the process is, it may even be worth bringing in slimes to clean up the ambient energy in the City. And if we're really lucky, I might be able to extract a process that could help strengthen humanity as a whole! But that's more of a fantasy than a real hope.” Jacobs sighed wistfully.

“Why would we bring slimes in to clean up the ambient energy?” Chris asked curiously. “I thought it wasn't an issue.”

“Oh, it isn't, but it is useless. If we can use that energy to instead empower creatures that we can use to make the Maze a safer place, then it's a win win, isn't it? The slimes get the ambient energy they need to mutate, and we get expendable soldiers to throw at the more dangerous elements of the Maze, something the slimes would do on their own, simply more directed towards our needs.” Jacobs elaborated.

Chris nodded thoughtfully. “I can see that. Not sure people would be comfortable having slimes in the City like that, though.”

Jacobs waved dismissively. “It wouldn't be the first time the City has secretly used Maze creatures to solve an issue. They're a resource just like anything else and it would be foolish to ignore them simply because it'd make the populace uncomfortable.”

“Hm.” Chris grunted in tentative agreement. He didn't have much else to say, so he walked over to sit with T'ka and Sidulpek while they watched TV to wait, Jacobs refocusing on the data he was collecting from Chris and Jello's mutations, going over it to see if there was anything that jumped out before he did an in depth analysis.

T'ka glanced at Chris hesitantly as he sat down, having overheard most of their conversation. [Do- do you think the City could have a use for kobolds?]

Chris froze at the almost pleading tone in her voice. “I- think that would be hard.” Chris answered with a sigh. “Ironically, kobolds are too strong, and humans are too weak. You know how you get stronger the longer you live, right?” T'ka nodded stiffly. “So inevitably, any kobold we took in would grow into a deadly threat given enough time, unless bound by something like my connection with you. Which wouldn't be an issue if we could trust each other but… how many kobolds do you think would still work with us once they'd gotten everything they wanted from us? Or, once they had the power, wouldn't turn around and enslave us?”

[But- Even if they had demands, wouldn't the power they bring be worth it?] T'ka asked with a mix of confusion and desperation.

Chris shook his head. “For some people, maybe, but… well, do you think humanity would be down here if we were willing to serve another race? We value our freedom too much to hand it over for simple security. I couldn't say whether that attitude is good or bad, it just is. It could be that submitting ourselves to some kobold overlords would be the best thing for us, but there's no way we would. At least, not willingly.”

T'ka’s expression crumpled. On some level, she knew peace between their people would be difficult, if not impossible, but to actually hear it was a blow she hadn't been prepared for. She'd been harboring a small hope that somehow her tribe could be taken in by the humans like she had, so they could experience all the wonderful things they had to offer, and even more the unthinkable level of security they had. The ability to sleep every night without worrying about the tribe coming under attack was something she'd never even considered before becoming Chris's minion! [There's really no way?]

Chris's expression twisted. “Well… I guess if they were all willing to form a connection with me, we might be able to figure something out. I don't think we could get them into the City, but as long as I have some level of control over them, the City shouldn't be interested in destroying them. And if the City doesn't interfere, it shouldn't be too hard to carve out a space in the Maze for them, and I could use any resources they collect to buy stuff from the City. We could even sort of make a mini-City and block off a section of the Maze so the only way to get in and out would be through my portals. In fact, using my portals would let you move higher up in the Maze without moving the tribe, which would make the City even less inclined to bother you, since all they really care about is keeping the Maze balanced. But again, all this is conditioned on your entire race agreeing to essentially be my slaves, which I don't think is likely, particularly since the upfront benefits will be minimal.”

T'ka began to nod, hesitating as a thought occurred to her. [Could- could I at least try? If they refuse to be swayed, I- I understand what needs to be done, but- I want to at least give them a chance.]

Chris raised an eyebrow at her, then shrugged. “Sure, I can agree to that. I mean, it isn't like I'm going to say no to more minions.”

T'ka snorted at that, but couldn't suppress the warm feeling in her chest. Despite how cavalier Chris may seem about it, she knew that if her people truly agreed to become his minions, he would do everything in his power to give them the best life possible. Would he use them? Absolutely. But he wouldn't waste them. That was more than she could say of her old Chief.

Chris considered what he would do with a bunch of kobolds. Obviously collecting resources from the Maze would be a big part of it, but he couldn't help but consider his access to the surface. It'd take decades, but eventually the kobolds would outgrow the Maze. Though… he supposed at that point they'd be able to climb out of the Maze on their own, so they wouldn't need his access to the surface. Then again, a second point of access couldn't hurt… Chris shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself. The surface wasn't something he should consider for a long time. Chris glanced at Sidulpek. “What about you? Any inclination to bring goblins on board?”

“Goblins don't deserve security.” Sidulpek grumbled.

Chris blinked at that. “Huh… Well, I know at least two who do. Maybe there are others?”

“Not enough.” Sidulpek sighed unhappily.

Chris eyed her for a moment. That was something he might want to keep an eye on… he'd talk to Beth about it. She was better with these things.

*

About an hour later, a surge of excitement exploded out of Jello as their chrysalis began to crack. Chris moved his portal over to watch as they emerged, careful to avoid the equipment as he did. The chrysalis shook as more and more cracks began to form, bulging in places as Jello's struggles increased, until a spike suddenly shot out of it, the spike turning to goo as Jello flowed out and plopped on the floor. Chris scratched his head as he stared at the slime that looked completely unchanged from before. “Well the spike was new…”

The moment he spoke, Jello's attention snapped to him and they immediately launched themselves at him, shifting mid-air into the form of a small girl as they- she? sent him a mental message with a very clear meaning. *Big Brother!*

Chris let out an oof as the slime girl thumped into him, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing tight. “Big- what?” Chris frowned, pulling the slime off and holding her up in front of him as she wiggled happily, studying her for a moment. Somehow Jello had managed to morph herself into a passable imitation of a small human. The body itself was genderless, almost doll-like, but the face had distinct feminine features, reminiscent of Beth's with a few hints of his own mixed in. With some clothes, she could pass convincingly as their daughter if she wanted to, though he hoped she wouldn't… David might kill him. Or congratulate him… The man was hard to predict sometimes. Thankfully she seemed more intent on being his sister, which she genuinely believed was true, according to their connection at least. Chris shook his head, closing the portal as he felt this conversation was about to get complicated. “I'm not your brother.”

Jello froze, staring at him incredulously. *What? Of course you are! I can tell by your essence, we're definitely siblings!*

Chris raised an eyebrow. “My essence?”

*Yup-yup!* Jello confirmed happily. *Did you not check mine? That's very irresponsible of you, Big Brother.*

Chris hesitated, searching the instincts he was still borrowing from Jam for whatever this essence she was talking about was. He quickly found it in the senses section of the slime instincts, a part he'd glossed over since he was more focused on mutation at the time. Apparently there was a resonance between the energy and vitality of a creature that could act as a unique identifier, and since it was constant even through mutations, slimes used it to recognize each other. They could even tell how closely related they were based on how similar their essences were. And apparently, Jello was convinced that his essence was close enough to hers that they qualified as siblings! That- sort of explained why slimes were always so eager to accept his connection, actually. They thought he was one of them! “Are you sure?” Chris asked skeptically.

Jello gave him a weird look. *Can you not tell?*

Chris shook his head. “I can't sense essence. I'm not a slime, I'm human.”

Jello cocked her head. *Huh?*

Chris frowned. Of course she didn't know anything about humans or slimes. She'd been a practically senseless blob until now. “Shit. Hold on, this might hurt a bit, but it'll tell you everything you need to know.”

*Kay-kay!* Jello replied happily.

Chris shook his head, wondering if she'd still be this upbeat after the headache- coreache? she was about to get, before sending her knowledge packets of all the basic information he knew about the City and the Maze, adding in the human language on top. “There. How are you feeling?”

“Great!” Jello chirped happily. “Language is so much fun! Who would have thought you could use vibrations to communicate? Genius!”

Chris blinked. “Right… so you get what I'm saying now, right? Human, not slime?”

“Sure-sure!” Jello nodded. “It kinda sucks that you can't sense essence, but it's okay, I'll just do it for you!”

“That's great and all, but more to the point, how is it possible for a slime and a human to be siblings?” Chris pointed out. “I'm pretty sure what you're sensing is just a coincidence. Probably because of my space… it is a bit slime-like.”

Jello shook her head vigorously. “Nope! You can't fool essence! If it says you're my brother, you're my brother, no doubt about it!”

“But I'm human.” Chris pointed out.

Jello shrugged. “So? I could mutate into a human, if I wanted to. Look, I'm halfway there already!” She wiggled her body to prove it.

Chris paused. That was actually not a bad point… it wasn't that hard for a slime to get human DNA. If one decided that was the optimal path for mutation, he could totally see it happening. Then, with the right ability, they might find a way to sneak into the City, blend in, create a life for themselves, have kids… Chris shook his head. How could he think one of his parents might be a slime? They were in the Scouts! If there was any place that type of thing would be checked for, it'd be there! He paused. His dad was an orphan though… Chris scowled. “How old are you?”

Jello cocked her head. “I think I'm four? No more than five, at least.”

“Well there you have it.” Chris nodded. “My parents died over a decade ago, so they couldn't have given birth to you. What probably happened is that the slime that gave birth to you got ahold of my parents DNA somehow and used it when forming you, hence why our essences are so similar.”

Jello raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you sure they died?”

Chris's expression hardened. “I'm positive. My parents would never have abandoned me.” He didn't remember much from those early years, but from what he did remember, he knew his parents had cared for him deeply.

Jello froze, sensing the dangerous territory she'd stumbled into. “What if they had to? What if it wasn't something they could control?”

Chris frowned, not coming up with anything to say to that, when something else stole his attention. “Wait here.” He growled, putting Jello down as his body dissolved, his consciousness returning to the chrysalis. Chris flexed against the shell that wrapped him tight, pushing with his knees, elbows, and back until the chrysalis burst. The pieces fell off him as he stood, rolling his shoulders and looking down to examine himself. Just like Jacobs had said, any system related to long-term sustainability was gone. His crotch was completely smooth and his gut was just gone, Chris certain this new form didn't have much of a digestive tract, if any. Even his chest had shrunk as organs were removed and the ribcage condensed to protect the vitals that remained. Replacing it all was pure muscle, giving him an unnatural bulky, yet gangly appearance. His arms and fingers had lengthened, each finger tipped with a long, vicious claw, while his feet had shifted to have three ‘toes’ on the front and another out the back, all clawed. He also had a tail now, long and almost whip-like with a spike on the end. He wasn't sure what his face looked like yet, but judging by the looks he was getting from the techs, it wasn't pretty. Chris turned to Jacobs and opened his mouth, only for a rumbling hiss to come out.

“I don't think you have vocal cords in that form.” Jacobs chuckled.

Chris hissed again, before raising a claw and opening a portal heading into his space. He changed back into himself and put his uniform on, before returning. “What did you think?”

“Absolutely horrifying.” Jacobs shook his head. “If I didn't know it was you in there, I would have bolted out of here pissing myself.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “That bad?”

Jacobs sighed. “Chris, has anyone ever explained to you physique threat analysis?” Chris nodded. It was something he'd had to go over for his scouting training. It wasn't so much a judgment of power as it was of agility. Something like his cave wyrm would be a low-level threat, since it was designed to do one thing and one thing only, which was to charge and bite. There was no way it was going to dodge or jump or anything like that. Things like humans and goblins would be classified as mid-level threats, since their physiques allowed them various different types of movements they could use to complicate a fight, like jumping, dodging, rolling, and so on. Low-level threats could generally be planned for fairly easily, since all you really needed to do was figure out how to avoid their one thing, while mid-level threats required actual tactics to fight. As for high-level threats, these creatures could pull off movements that would confuse even humans, allowing them to ignore their formations in some way. At the same power level, a higher threat level would destroy a lower one, simply because the lower threat couldn't react to everything the higher threat level could do. It was one of the things that made Beth so dangerous, since her elastic body let her bounce around in tunnels, picking up speed until you could barely keep track of her, let alone stop her. “Well, your new form is a high-level threat if I ever saw one.” Jacobs continued. “Every part of you screams flexibility and speed!”

Chris blinked. “Huh… You think so? I was more focused on the claws and the tail.”

Jacobs shook his head. “We'll need to send you through an obstacle course to be sure, but one thing is for certain. You have just become a much more lethal combatant.”

“Heh.” Chris smirked. “That's funny, because my squad just decided I'm better off not fighting.”

“Eh? Why?!?” Jacobs asked incredulously.

Chris shrugged. “Because having Dyrdek fill my role while I focus on managing my minions is just more efficient. The squad doesn't need another damage dealer, it needs better coordination between the ones it already has.”

Jacobs frowned for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “I can't argue with that. It's just disappointing to see you wasting potential like that.” He paused. “Though I suppose given everything you're capable of, that was inevitable, wasn't it?”

“Eh?” Chris wiggled his hand. “Just because it doesn't help the squad doesn't mean it's useless. There will be times where it's more effective for me to take care of something myself, and that's when this new form will shine.” Particularly if T'ka actually managed to convince the kobolds to become his minions, he added to himself.

“Very true.” Jacobs agreed. “But since it won't benefit the squad, I don't have an excuse to fit it into your training. Which is unfortunate, because I would have loved to see it in action.” He sighed sadly.

Chris rolled his eyes. “You love studying everything I can do.”

“Because it's all so fascinating!” Jacobs exclaimed.

Chris chuckled. “Of course it is. Should we go see how powerful this new form is?”

Jacobs practically smacked himself in his excitement. “Of course! Let's go!” He immediately rushed towards the door.

Chris glanced at one of the techs. “Is he always like this, or is it just for me?”

“Always.” The tech muttered with a hint of amusement.

Chris clicked his tongue as he followed after Jacobs. “Well now I feel less special.”