Episode 21- The rebirth of more than one.
"Ojoj, I didn't expect it to be this bad. I mean sure, it's not falling apart yet, with the emphasis on yet, but still. The runners don't appreciate hard ground, the link holding all those chains to the carriage is a little loose and rattle about, and I think I got caught on something sharp, because there is one pretty nasty scar on the underside. Overall, I think it would withstand three more rides, tops."
His listener didn't respond, because honestly, she wasn't even awake. Any nearby zerg was running about, and didn't have the time to create disinterested audience. It was because of…
"Who would have thought that zerg can listen in to terran comms? I already know they are smarter than they look, at least some of them do, but this is just on another level. They have bigger psi ability and just use it differently, mostly to control and communicate, which honestly makes sense. I say they and not me because I am still the oddest one out. I mean, the infestation was very compatible with me, it took like 2 days. My mind didn't really change all that much, and the will to serve the swarm decided to be like me and laze around all day, doing nothing. Looking at my body, the zerg part is mostly like another layer of skin. Probably it has something to do with the armor I am wearing most of the time, but I didn't gain any carapace or odd limbs. My parts of armor now have an additional layer underneath, but it still is detachable. My face, well… I couldn't tell much because there is no damn mirror anywhere around here! I mean seriously, I didn't have enough time in the first terran base, all reflective parts were too broken to see anything and the spawning pool was too murky." His tirade ended with a sigh.
He was sitting by the chrysalis, again, guarding it, again, and bored out of mind, again. Their group arrived somewhere on char, zerg main base, and first thing first they had to deal with some bold terran party. The only action Dobromir saw was some troops decimated when they tried to approach the chrysalis.
"Right, the chrysalis doubled in size, I think it's near hatching. When the sleeping princess will wake up, I will have the occasion to ask about my face. Hand's didn't tell me much, and the tongue confirmed that my teeth are a little more sharp, and it itself is a little more resistant. Maybe the zerg could infect my carriage? It could work, I think…"
The Forest was dark, the night was warm, and the company was loud.
"Don't worry, miss pilot, It's completely zerg free!"
Her boisterous company was named Bombastic Bill, and he lived to his name. He didn't know how to whisper, and speaking normally eluded him most days. Mina was sitting on the back of a giant boar, and together with its rider was venturing deeper into the forest. After her killer headache subsided, somewhat, she accepted the offer of training her psi/mind. She didn't expect a dark forest and loud guide/transport. She started to doubt her decision, and the doubt increased seeing a small girl waiting for them, with a weird beast by her side.
There is no such thing as an easy solution, is there?
"Hmmm, no don't add any tentacles, it would just look weird. Chains? Use them like the bones for your muscles. You can add heavy carapace to the sides of the carriage but not inside. These parts need serious anti traction. No, no adding legs. Okay, it's done, for now.
Dobromir took a step back, to admire the upgrades to his carriage. After some diplomacy, with serious usage of images, the cerebrate ordered one of his newly acquired queens to infestate his slapped together piece of junk. He needed to guide the infestation himself, because he didn't need a horror show. Now it would be usable in the future, and maybe, gradually the new zerg lifeform would repair the thing itself, finally becoming a fully biological carriage. The overall upgrade was obvious, with strengthening all around, but there was one really useful change. Even if the tentacles didn't start to grow in random places, the chains themselves become rather lively. Seems that putting all of that on zergling would become so much easier.
"Now, seeing as nothing is happening for now, it's time to relax, and I already have some nice hot spring to jump into."
"Let me introduce you, this is Weavess the Crone and her companion marshmallow", said companion let out a loud call, it seems the mostly white hippogriff recognized its own name. Seeing the pout, Bill added "She also is known as pixie". He received an approving nod for that.
"What do you mean Crone? She looks so young!" Mina was surprised, rightfully so.
"Actually", said the small pink eyed girl, "That's just an honorary title".
"How do you get a title like that?"
"Oh, oh! I know that one!" Seems Bill knows something, a little surprising. "Those titles were given to the first magic gifted triplets that arrived on this planet, together with the rest of the original colonists. They lived for a hundred and fifty years, hence the title. After that, another triplets with magic aptitude were born, and they lived two hundred years. The one who you see is the third generation, currently ten years old."
"Two hundred?! That's… a LOT. And what do you mean magic? All rational people know magic doesn't exist."
The other two looked at themself knowingly, and the horse bird hybrid just laid down and closed its eyes, it seemed that Marshmallow was already tired of conversation.
"I have other things to do… Adios!" With that, mister bombastic quickly disappeared from the two's view.
Pixie looked for a moment at the back of the quickly disappearing rider's back, and retired to conversation. "Okay, so you know that Psionic powers are all about mind, like reading thoughts or on extreme occasions even controlling people" she received a nod, "The thing is, that's what we call hard magic. Our powers are much more subtle, refined and ancient." The girl stopped for a moment, and started tapping her chin in thought, "You are a pilot, right?"
"Yes, so?"
"If you have the drive necessary, you could reach much more than just prevention of headaches, and be useful to the colony… Anyway, the training just began, and we have a long way to go." With that said, the girl quickly turned around and started heading deeper into the forest. Marshmallow quickly followed behind, And Mina, not seeing other options, did the same.
Her head was buzzing with questions, and internal debate, but she currently had to almost run to keep up with the, apparently, fast girl, so no breath left for talking.
A hazy vision showed a hydralisk, looming not far from the unmoving point of view. A moment later it switched to view of the volcanic planet, and a few leviathans stationed around the planet. Vision switched back to hydralisk which was now looming over the silent watcher.
"Move over you big lug!" The rather big zerg was moved over by a much more familiar, yet alien person. He put his face almost to the fleshy wall, and after a moment of intense staring, he stretched one of his eyelids with two fingers.
"I thought one of my eye veins burst, but I didn't know it was from power". His sclera was adorned with several small veins that glowed slightly yellow, adding a more alien look to his green & blue somewhat slitted cat eyes. "And is that a mist? I didn't know I was powerful enough for power leak".
The vision started to blurry again, trying to change scenery once more. "Te, what do you think you are doing? Focus" It was accompanied with a double tap, "Focus" and double tap again, "Focus", he repeated it six more times before the vision refocused on him. "That's more like it, princess".
"Okay, let's continue," He stood a little further, and started to look at his face, "Less purple than the rest of my body, facial hair stopped existing but at last there won't be any pimples anymore." He started turning around, looking at his hair "It's less thick than yours, but still looks like dreadlocks". Dobromir looked at the occupant in the pod, this time looking with his own eyes. Don't look at me like that, I didn't encounter any reflective surface from the start."
"Anyway, carry on" He said, turning around and walking off with a wave of his hand. Her vision went to planet view for another moment and then she plunged in unconsciousness, accompanied by a strange mix of annoyance and comfort.
Her new teacher? The small girl was supposed to teach her, but she was still unsure. Anyway, after half an hour of barely keeping up, they arrived at some small clearing where one tree stump resided in the middle. After a moment, Pixie was sitting upon the stump with crossed legs and Marshmallow laying close. Mina sat in front of the stump, and proceeded to inhale deeply a few times to regain lost oxygen.
"Okay, normally there would be some lecture, deep thought and self exploring, but look at me, do I look like a teacher?" Seeing her listener opening mouth she quickly added with her high pitched but still somehow pleasant voice. "Don't state the obvious, because it's meaningless. You are a pilot right?"
The response arrived with head nodding. "Then come closer, we will use the fast method, and eventual enlightenment will be on your shoulders.
Mina wanted to ask something, but a palm of small hand touched her forehead and her world exploded into the stars.
.
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Authors notice:
I will have a rather intense month, with only my phone available. I don't know how much time I will have, daily and events still need to be done, and If I will have enough strength to write anything.