Chapter 65: Varied Variants

The scientists, security guards, and janitors that evacuated the hidden building, watched in awe and horror as the secret research facility was slowly crumbling into itself, the light produced from their Era Agency neighbors being their brightest source of illumination several tens of meters away. They saw flashes of glowing light that seemed to reduce the hidden building to rubble, scrap, and debris at an alarming rate. The research that the scientists had made in what once had been their home was fading away, like it was dust being blown away by the wind. All the data that they had been gathering, whatever the purpose was that the facility filled, was all destroyed in a whirlwind storm of destruction. They were glad that many of them were still alive, with the exception of the co-manager they knew as Qalop that was currently held hostage by Kay. Another exception was one of the janitors that wore heavy headphones that played loud music at that moment of panic. Qalop tried to warn him, but Kay had insisted that his four minutes were up.

After the dust settled, after the energy blasts and psionically charged claw cutting had stopped, a stillness clung to the air as silence replaced the loud noise of the deconstructed secret facility. This silence lasted for another minute before a shadowed figure walked out of the ruined building. Kay sighed as he carried three things with himself. Still under his left arm was a still-alive Qalop that was coughing harshly, due to having to breathe in the aftermath of a demolished laboratory. Kay also dragged a corpse away from the hidden facility ruins, his right hand firmly clasped onto a dead drone's pincer. Kay was also bringing a third body on his back, and it was the unconscious protoss that somehow survived for twenty years in that tube filled with oxygenated water.

After destroying the facility, Kay placed the zerg drone corpse and the unconscious protoss body onto the ground. He then threw Qalop onto the sand in front of him and stepped down on his chest. Qalop struggled under Kay's foot, even when his lungs were painfully filled with dust. Kay leered at the scientist. "Kay. With that out of the way, I think now is the time I teach you a lesson."

After clearing his lungs, despite having a foot pressed down on his chest, Qalop raised his hands up defensively. "Pl-*cough cough* Please don't kill me! Whatever we did to anger you, I swear that we can make up for it! What do you want?!"

Kay sighed as he looked down at Qalop. "Can you find a way to leave this prison planet? Can you discover some kind of passage that will let the zerg leave Kiln once and for all? Can you open the door that will lead me to freedom?"

Qalop paused for a long time. Hesitation prevented him from giving his answer to the bug-man beast-master of the zerg swarm, but he knew that there was no way he could lie a way out of this. Defeated, Qalop gave up resisting. "... The technology used for the wormhole-creating gateway was dismantled, and the data and blueprints for creating another one was erased. I'm afraid that we no longer have the means to provide you with what you desire."

Kay reached for Qalop's cranium and grasped it tightly, his head quickly becoming enveloped in psionic energy. Kay's eyes began to radiate energy as his rage escalated. "Then you will understand my frustration, and this protoss' loneliness." He said, also reaching for the protoss' own head.

In an instant, Qalop's mind was subjected to the collective memories that were contained within Kay and the Protoss. The protoss had so much ancient knowledge within himself, which detailed the experiences of like-minded protoss that also had powerful minds, all sharing, all connecting into a telepathic network made of what felt like a web of mental light. Despite learning of the protoss' memories, Kay's connection to the swarm was just as overwhelming, which equated to being in a black cave filled with glowing insects that reacted to instincts, desires, fears, and will. It was so much information for Qalop to digest. So much knowledge to process. So much data.

Qalop's ear-holes and eyes started bleeding after he twitched and foamed from the mouth. Once Kay was finished, Qalop was now reduced to a scientist with a broken mind. A pained groan seemed to have emanated from the protoss, but he remained silent afterwards. Kay sighed as he carefully scratched the back of his head. "Kay. That's done with."

With Qalop's mind broken, Kay summoned a shrylisk to surface and directed it to load the still unconscious protoss and dead drone into its bowels. However, the head security guard of the ruined secret research facility ran up to Qalop and kneeled next to his body. After inspecting Qalop for several seconds, Elvog looked up at Kay with a bewildered face. "What... did you do?"

"I taught him a lesson." Kay said as he entered into the maw of the shrylisk. Once Kay was safely tucked away in the belly of the burrowing transport strain, the shrylisk receded into the sand and descended through the soil and ground, leaving the secret facility's evacuated personnel to their own fate. Kay no longer cared about them anymore.

As Kay was riding in the guts of the shrylisk that transported him, the dead drone, and the unconscious naked protoss that was along for the ride, Kay expanded his mind and connected his thoughts to Corvurn. 'Corvurn, you are not going to believe what I found at the facility the zerg had escaped from.'

'Noticed. Surprised. Perplexing.' Corvurn replied. 'Protoss and terran organisms discovered in secret research facility. Poses further complications. Recommend analysis of debris and corpses.'

'I'm already bringing one to you. How is Othafurn?'

'Unconscious, but has slow recovery rate. Query. Condition of protoss?'

Kay looked behind himself and saw that the protoss was lying comfortably, even if he was still unconscious. 'The protoss has been unconscious for twenty years, so... I think he looks a bit atrophied. ... At least I THINK he looks atrophied.'

'Troubling. Must take samples. Bring to nearest evolution chamber. Must analyze protoss gene sequences.'

Kay furrowed his eyebrows. 'Uh... Maybe we should hold off on doing that?'

'Unclear. Explain.'

'Put yourself in his perspective. If he woke up to the sight of some slug monster with eight limbs drawing blood from his veins or eating one of his fingers, how do you think he would react?'

'... Unclear.'

Kay sighed. 'Then trust me when I say that taking genetic samples from him at the very moment he wakes up, if he wakes up, would make him pissed at us. Until we can figure out a way to wake him up in a safe way, I'm going to have to ask you not to take any samples from him.'

'... Unclear, but will obey.'

'But on the other hand, I'm hoping that this old drone I acquired from one of the autopsy labs might provide us some extra mutations and adaptations we need. Think you're up to doing this instead?'

'Task acceptable. Refraining from taking protoss genetic samples. Will analyze deceased drone organism. Proceed to nearest evolution chamber.'

'Good. Burrowing to the specified evolution chamber now. And while you're at it, have the queens make a room for the protoss to stay in. Get some luminescent light and some fresh, uncontaminated water for him to drink.' Kay ordered.

Corvurn grumbled. 'Task discomforting, but doable.'

Somehow, Kay felt as though today is going to be a long day.

Somehow, Kay felt as though today is going to be a great day.

Corvurn had consumed the deceased drone that Kay retrieved from the ruined facility several minutes ago, and he revealed several different kinds of mutations that almost made Kay's head spin. He had no idea that the former Queen of Blades had so many mutations at her disposal, nor did he knew how many different strain variations she truly had at her command. Kay could only assume that it was because of the long term exposure to the void that enabled it to retain much of the genetic information. The overlords, zerglings, hydralisk, drones and Virid must have slowly lost many of their more powerful mutations and adaptations when they were moved from the void and pulled to Kiln's prison system, which had meant that their connection to the main swarm must have weakened them to a degree. Apparently, that was not so with the deceased drone, which had kept its various mutations that was stored in its dead body. Or at least that is what Kay theorized.

The mutations that Kay's swarm received from Corvurn's helpful dissection and imbibement of the dead drone's DNA was staggering. Kay's swarm can now reconstitute dead zerglings and respawn them, improve the mental control of the overlords and overseers by one and a half times, have two drones spawn from a single egg, and extractors and every variation of them can become self automated. And to top that off, several of the combat strains were also improved. The zerglings' carapace becomes even more hardened. The banelings can not only rupture more explosively and double the damage that their acid inflicts, but can also remove necrotic tissue and heal wounds of friendly zerg more quickly. The roaches regained their hydriodic bile that deals extra damage to light units, their adaptive plating that becomes active when their health is low, and their impressive tunneling claws that lets them burrow and tunnel VERY quickly through the ground. The hydralisks can become frenzied and attack at a quicker speed, and had grown an ancillary carapace to improve their overall health. The mutalisk's glaive worms became much more vicious and more likely to sunder both prey and victims, which enable the projectiles to bounce off and through more enemies and dealing extra damage to armored vehicles and enemies. The swarm hosts' locusts could be incubated slightly faster, but also have pressurized glands that enable them to target enemies on the ground and in the air, while also having developed a slightly longer lifetime. The ultralisks gained terrifying adaptations and mutations, enabling them to burrow charge through the very ground, assimilate tissue or digestible matter from every attack of their kaiser blades, and were able to swing them without any loss to momentum. The vipers gained paralitic barbs with their abducting tongues, and could also use their abilities much further than before, enabling their virulent microbes to produce a disabling cloud that not only limited the enemy's vision, but also prevented them from attacking or using their abilities. The vipers even gained the ability to attack airborne foes with their acidic spit. The brood lords developed an increase to their speed as their cartilage became porous. The guardians' range of attack was increased even further than before, enabling them a never-before-seen bombardment of heavy acid spores.

It seemed strange to Kay, but it was almost as though every adaptation that the queen of blades had acquired for her swarm was passed down to Kay's swarm, and then some. It may have been a disturbing thought to many should such opinions become shared, but Kay had no complaints about it. Especially since Corvurn had also discovered that the dead drone also contained many strain variations stored within its DNA. The zerglings can be hatched either as the raptor variant, a breed of zergling that could leap up cliffs and deal extra armor-shredding damage with their armor-removing shredding claws, or as the swarmling variant, where they are hatched as triplets with but a couple seconds of gestation. The banelings can be hatched either as the splitter variant, which can explode into two smaller banelings that spawn upon detonation, or the hunter variant, where they could leap over walls and cliffs to pursue their prey on otherwise difficult terrain, much like the zergling raptor variant. The roaches can be hatched either as the corpser variant, where parasitic larvae living in its acid would burst out of the corpse of their host upon their victim's death and form two roachlings, or the vile variant, a type of roach variant that slows down the enemies they attack. The swarm hosts can be hatched either as the carrion variant, which spawns slightly faster flying locusts that are efficient in offense, or the creeper variant, which can generate creep once burrowed into the ground or could deep burrow to a distant field of healthy creep. And then there was the ultralisks that can be hatched either as the noxious variant, which releases slightly acidic and toxic mist particles around itself that could be further expelled as a damaging and explosive cloud, or the torrasque variant, which can quickly envelop a cocoon around itself and heal all its wounds once hatched.

Even if Kay couldn't combine the strain variants together, their uses would still be erroneously underestimated by his enemies. But then again, he remembered that the previous mutations that he had gained from the previous timeline had only strengthened his swarm to a completely different level. For example, he could use the mutation he derived from Ralkan's jellyfish to affect the growth of his zerglings. Three swarmlings would become nine, nine would become eighteen, and so on and so forth until Kay felt as though he had enough zerglings to switch to the hunter strains. And considering the fact that the zerg have been generating resources for twenty years in Kay's absence? Only now was it blatantly obvious to Kay that the zerg have the capacity to develop more bullshit bio-space-magic on top off their already magical physics-bullshitting biology.

"Ooooooooooooooooh man." Kay was amazed after hearing Corvurn's lengthy explanation on which variant does what, and what kind of mutations were acquired from the drone. "I want an honest answer from you, Corvurn. When is it considered cheating when we have so many adaptations, mutations, and strain variants at our disposal?" He asked, slouching forward and holding his head, as though he was reeling from one roller coaster reality and going into the next one.

"Unknown." Corvurn replied, as though not understanding Kay's question. "War contains no rules for conduct. Ultimate expression of survival. Cheating is irrelevant to survival. To adapt is to thrive. To stagnate is to die. Many mutations and strain variants gained from deceased drone organism. Swarm will thrive greatly."

Kay nodded once Corvurn explained his answer to him. "Kay... Oh, I heard from Virid that you developed two new bio-structure strains before I went to the secret facility and retrieved the dead drone. Could you tell me what they are?"

Corvurn growled. "Hivemind communication with command organism Virid? Be warned. Psionic sensor network in orbital mega structure capable of detecting psionic emissions. Could translate psionic messages."

Kay paused, looked at the ground, and then sighed and nodded. "Oh... Wow, thanks for reminding me. Damn, I really need to be more careful next time." He looked back up at Corvurn. "But that kind of raises a different question. How are we supposed to coordinate an attack on Gollog's empire if we are two commanders short?"

"Answer, simple. Make additional broodmothers." Corvurn replied.

Kay shook his head and crossed his arms. "A good answer, but I think we need something far more powerful than more broodmothers. Virid's micromanagement of the zerg is impeccable, but we need something that can be used on a far grander scale. I know now that in order to defeat Gollog, we'd have to pull off a simultaneous attack on all of his assets. We might have to do it right on Kiln's surface and from Virid's position on the hexagon moon, but we can't coordinate with her without using the psionic connection, or else we'll be having the empire gilanians eavesdropping on our psychic conversations." Kay sighed. "... But back to my previous question. Have you developed two new bio-structures?"

Corvurn nodded. "Correct. Developed two new structure strains. Scourge cannon. Uses projectile launching bio-mechanisms contained in spore cannon. Similar concept. Gestates and produces scourge, launched as self-guided missiles. Useful. attacks targets beyond planet's orbit."

Kay shook his head and chuckled. "We have spore cannons that we can use for orbital defense and planetary bombardment, but now we have scourge cannons that have the potential to strike at capitol ships beyond a planet's orbit? I'll admit, I am pretty impressed by that alone. What's the second bio-structure strain?"

"Second new strain, creep colony." Corvurn answered.

Kay narrowed his eyes. "... Uh... Isn't that a strain that was no longer considered useful after the brood wars?"

Corvurn shook his head. "Improved capabilities. Quadrupled bio-matter cost. Can spread creep."

Kay sighed and shook his head. "Corvurn, as much as I appreciate everything that you have done, I fail to see how these 'newer' creep colonies can do everything that a creep tumor can accomplish for free."

Curvurn shook his head again and growled lightly. "Listen. Will explain. Proliferating creep colony structure strain variant spreads creep indefinitely."

Kay's eyes widened as he heard Corvurn explain. "... Continue." Kay said.

Corvurn pleaded his hands together. "Uses accelerant to grow and spread creep further. Only requirement, be morphed on creep surface. Stimulates creep in light psionic ripple effect. Affects all creep connected to proliferating creep colony strain variant. More emplacements of prolific creep colonies, increases creep growth at multiplicative rate."

Kay stared at Corvurn for several seconds before shaking his head. "As much as I like the idea of using such a strain of bio-structure at our leisure, I don't think we can use it."

Corvurn tilted his head. "Explain."

Kay began explaining his reasoning to Corvurn. "To me, it sounds like it is a weapon that will affect the entire ecosystem of this planet, if it was ever left alone after activation. If the proliferating creep colonies are allowed to continually expand the creep, then they will definitely grow into non-aligned gilanian villages and populations. Their crops would die, their livestock will become sick and infected, and their way of living would become further challenged. Their livelihoods would be destroyed if we ever spawned and activated this new structure strain."

Corvurn paused, then shook his head. "Why prevent creep growth? Creep tumors targeted by orbital mega structure energy lances. Proliferating creep colonies provides indirect method of growing creep."

Kay went up to Corvurn and patted at his side. "Because not all gilanians are our enemies. And even if we had creep that grew everywhere, it's not like we can amass enough drones to morph into all the spore and scourge cannons we would ever need." Kay then walked away from Corvurn, going toward the hatchery that was carefully guarded by several kinds of queens. He inspected the hatchery carefully and sighed. He could sense that Othafurn was within the very structure, and was slowly coming out of her unconsciousness. She was currently in a deep sleep, but Kay felt as though that might change soon. "... But we still need more resources than what we currently have right now."

Corvurn tilted his head. "Swarm requires more bio-matter and accelerant?"

Kay shook his head. "No... No, we need... We need something extra, but I don't know what it is. I can feel it, but I have no clue what it might be."

Corvurn paused, but shook his head. "Unclear. Train of thought, unproductive. Must take proactive action."

Kay sighed and nodded. "You're right, but you must understand that the very moment we start mobilizing against the sky rings, the empire is going to know that we are trying something. If this 'ENO field sensor system' is as good as I think it is, then we are pretty much stuck in a corner with no possible way to attack. ... We might need someone that can hack into gilanian technology."

Corvurn nodded slowly. "Understood. More abductions needed. Primary targets, gilanian empire computer technicians and highly ranked empire officers."

Kay clapped his hands together. "Kay." Kay felt somewhat annoyed that the new mutations, strains, and strain variants that Corvurn discovered and rediscovered were not going to be used immediately. From the memories that he could glimpse from either zerg experiences or absorbed memories from the infested empire gilanians, the sky rings were heavily defended by a great magnitude. They even have the capability to predict the warp-jumps of the leviathans, and the energy lances could fire at the distant leviathans with pinpoint precision. So long as the leviathans didn't try to warp into Kiln's atmosphere or near the sky ring super satellite, then they wouldn't be targeted.

'Command organism Kay?'

Kay looked up as he heard a familiar voice inside his head. "Uh... Corvurn Junior?"

Corvurn tilted his head as he began to eavesdrop on the conversation. 'Connection is stable. Splendid. Have discovered primary weakness of Kiln Keeper technology. Mega structure satellites consists primarily of Kiln Keeper technology and systems. Requires infiltration into commander headquarters. Dangerous mission. Will require technology specialist.'

Kay smiled. "Ooh~! How incredibly convenient. Who is the specialist?"

'Organism Kragnon. Clone of ancient warden individual. Contains high access priority. Can circumvent Gollog's commands. Use organism Kragnon's hereditary trait to infiltrate commander headquarters.'

Kay blinked a couple times. "... Kr-Kragnon? Um... Well this is... Unexpected."

'Organism Kragnon needed to circumvent Kiln Keeper technology. Infiltration into commander fortress and mega structure satellites impossible otherwise. Ending communication link.'

Kay groaned. He slightly remembered that he had saved the life of a lovechief, though he had transported Kragnon away on awkward terms. He wasn't sure if Kragnon would be willing to help a faction of murderous space bugs after twenty years of seperation. "Shit."

'KAY! WHERE IS KAY?! SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH HIM!'

Kay groaned even more when he heard Othafurn's panicked shrills pervading through the zerg's psionic hivemind connection. "Gah, Othafurn? Did you just wake up from a nightmare or something?"

'I NEED TO FIND KAY! WHERE IS HE?! HE NEEDS ME!'

Even when Kay was a stone's throw away from the hatchery that Othafurn was recovering in, Kay's mind was developing a headache since her psionic yelling was so close. "Okay okay, calm down already! I'll be with you in a second."

'KAY IS NOT WELL! HE NEEDS TO BE MENTALLY STABILIZED OR ELSE HE'S GOING TO RELAPSE!'

Kay sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Now my time traveling informant is having a fit."

Corvurn repeatedly looked between Kay and the hatchery that Othafurn was staying inside of, confusion in his face. "Perplexing. Query. Cause of command organism Othafurn's panic?"

"I've no fucking idea, but she's giving me a migraine. And to top this off, and after all this time, I had no idea that Kragnon was so integrated to this world. Shit!" Kay replied.

'ZHAKUL INOK EN ZERASHK?! EN TARO TASADAR!'

Kay closed his eyes in frustration, already feeling the lives of several zerglings trying their best to protect the unconscious protoss, even when the unconscious protoss had already awoken and was now killing his protectors. "Corvurn."

"Yes?" Corvurn replied.

"Did the protoss wake up just now?" Kay asked.

"... Yes." Corvurn answered.

Several seconds had passed before Kay took in a deep breath, then exhaled all of the air in his lungs in a deeply frustrated shout. "SHIIIIIT!"

Despite the fact that everything was going so well for Kay's swarm, it went downhill as he suddenly had three simultaneous things to worry about. Between politely asking for Kragnon's help to infiltrate into the gilanian empire's fortresses and sky rings, trying to calm down Othafurn's sudden frightened emotional state, and the protoss' bloodthirsty awakening, he would rather find Gollog and punch him in the face. And Kay was having such a good day too.

A/N: I hope y'all don't mind, but I need to investigate the new Hollow Knight stories on this fanfiction website.