Ben's gaze sharpened, scanning the area. Just as he expected, the slis started erging one by one. This wasn't so plant that produced water—if anything, it was a sli nest. Now it all made sense. The eerie silence, the strange atmosphere… it wasn't normal.
"Retreat!" Ben ordered without hesitation. There was no point in fighting here. There were too many of them. Sure, he had enough resources to spawn a hundred Krell soldiers, but against this swarm of slis, how many would survive? It wasn't worth it.
After putting so distance between them and the nest, Ben finally stopped and turned back, making sure nothing was following. Thankfully, only mushrooms were in sight. The other Krell were safe—except the one being consud. "What the hell are these slis? It's like so kind of nest… but why are they all clustered together?" Ben muttered. 'Was this so kind of breeding period? Or sothing else?'
Then he realized—his Krell scout, the one swallowed by the sli, wasn't dead. There was no notification. He imdiately reached out through the hive mind, trying to communicate. But all that ca back was piercing pain, no useful information. That annoyed him—not just because he got nothing, but because he didn't like seeing his creation being tortured.
Ben clenched his jaw and tried again, pushing through the pain, forcing himself to focus on what the scout was sensing. 'The slis… they've all returned to their spots. Based on their movent, I should be safe as long as I keep my distance.'
Ben's eyes narrowed. "Tch… fine then." Without hesitation, he turned back toward the sli-infested area, bringing the Krells with him. "Shoot it," he ordered.
Swosh!!!
The Krell loosed their arrows. But these weren't normal arrows. The heads had been replaced with explosive talismans.
And their target?
The plant holding the Krell scout inside.
Ben's goal was simple—destroy the plant. If the Krell Scout survived, it would regenerate. If not, then at least he'd be putting it out of its misery.
But this ti, things didn't go as planned. The mont the arrows neared the bulbous sac BAM!!!
The entire sac erupted, not from the explosion—but on its own. Like a cannon firing a payload, it shot its contents straight toward the incoming arrows.
BOOOOM!!!
The talismans detonated mid-air. Fire and smoke consud the battlefield as the remains of the sac splattered across the ground, chunks of it burning away in the aftermath.
When the dust settled—
[Your Krell Scout has perished!]
The notification flashed across his vision.
Ben exhaled. "At least it was quick." But then—his eyes narrowed. Sothing was wrong. The Krell's body was still there. That shouldn't be possible. When a Krell died, its body was supposed to disintegrate—reabsorbed by the system.
Then, the 'corpse' twitched. It stood up. The Krell Scout slowly lifted its head, its carapace still scarred and damaged, but now partially covered in thick, oozing sli. And then—it moved.
Its movents were unnatural, fluid but erratic. Its body dashed forward with startling speed, claws twitching, eyes devoid of recognition. Ben blinked. "…Did that thing just get buffed?!"
The possessed Krell leap forward pointing it's sharp claw toward Ben. Before it could reach Ben, a Krell Soldier intercepted.
CLANG!!!
The impact sent out a shockwave as the Krell Soldier blocked with its shield, skidding back from the sheer force.
Ben's eyes widened. 'It actually pushed back a Krell Soldier?!'
The possessed Krell didn't hesitate. The sli coating its limbs flexed, twisting unnaturally, before it swung its claws in a frenzied barrage. The Krell Soldier reacted instantly, blocking, countering—each movent calculated, precise.
One claw strike—deflected.
A sudden feint—parried.
Then—a deadly counter.
The Krell Soldier slamd its shield forward, sending the possessed Krell stumbling back. Before it could recover—Swoosh! The soldier twisted, bringing its halberd down in a sweeping arc, aiming to sever the corrupted limb.
SPLAT!
Instead of cutting through cleanly, the sli stretched, absorbing the impact. The mont the blade pulled back, the severed part simply reford. Ben's expression darkened. 'Just how did it do this? Is it b eco parasite posseiing the krell body?'
This wasn't a Krell anymore. "Alright," he muttered, rolling his shoulders. "New rule—stay the hell away from the sli."
The possessed Krell didn't stop. If anything, the failed attack only seed to fuel it. It The sli pulsed, its surface rippling like a living thing. The possessed Krell tilted its head unnaturally, then charged again—this ti with twice the speed.
The soldier braced itself. Too late.
WHOOSH!
The sli-empowered creature blurred, sidestepping at the last second before raking its claws across the Krell Soldier's exposed flank.
SCRACTH!!!
Deep gouges tore through the armor, black liquid spraying from the wound. The soldier staggered but didn't fall.
Ben cursed under his breath. 'learning mid-fight.'
The possessed Krell moved erratically, twitching in sharp, unpredictable bursts—its body no longer bound by normal movents. Every attack was unpredictable, unnatural. And it was getting stronger.
"Enough." Ben dashed forward. The air cracked as he launched off the ground, body coated in chitin armor. His pickaxe materialized mid-air, already swinging downward as he closed the distance.
The possessed Krell reacted instantly. It twisted its body unnaturally, dodging at the last mont— But Ben had already predicted it. "Gotcha." He let go of his pickaxe mid-swing— And grabbed the thing's face with his bare hand.
The sli pulsed, twisting to react—
BOOM!
Ben slamd it into the ground with full force, the impact shaking the earth. The ground cratered beneath them, cracks spiderwebbing outward. The possessed Krell twitched violently, the sli writhing as if trying to reassemble— Ben didn't give it the chance. A talisman appeared on his hand. "Burn."
WHOOSH!!!
Fire erupted from his palm, engulfing the sli-infested creature in an instant. The sli screeched. The possessed Krell convulsed, clawing at itself, but the flas consud everything.
The last remnants of sli crumbled into ash. Ben exhaled, stepping back as the air finally settled. Ben just rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah… it's the right decision to stay away from this place."
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