Preparations (3)
Adhai stood before the pure-white queen, Ham Ort.
The elder female was sprawled across the ground, basking in the warm heat flowing from the depths of the cavern. She didn't show even a flicker of threat at Adhai's presence.
That placid attitude irritated Adhai slightly.
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Advises｣ ｢This place｣ ｢Warm｣ ｢Lie down｣
｢Unnecessary｣ ｢Refuse｣
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Dislikes｣ ｢Repeating｣ ｢Words｣
A faint note of displeasure ran through the thought-wave the female kin had sent. With no other choice, Adhai lowered herself to the ground.
Just as she had said, the floor was very warm — warm enough to make the winter wind outside the cavern vanish from memory in an instant.
Watching Adhai comply so obediently, Ham Ort closed her eyes with evident satisfaction.
｢I｣ ｢Have words｣ ｢Follow｣ ｢Request｣ ｢Explanation｣
｢Ask first｣ ｢Daughter of the Shooting Star｣ ｢Father｣ ｢Do you know?｣
｢Great Oude Grad｣ ｢Black kin｣
｢Yes｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Oude Grad's third mate｣ ｢Daughter of the Shooting Star｣ ｢Ham Ort's offspring｣
The pure-white female warming herself before her, Ham Ort, and the great Black Dragon, Oude Grad — they were Adhai's parents.
On the day Adhai was born, a brilliant shower of white meteors had streaked the sky, and it was for that reason Ham Ort named her 'Daughter of the Shooting Star.' With her exceptional memory, Adhai could recall in vivid detail the look of joy that had softened her mother's face as she gazed down at her.
Of course, all of that meant nothing now. Her parents had cast her out as a hatchling simply because she was a mutant.
She was about to demand why on earth the female was dredging up a past long buried — when Adhai froze in shock.
A burning fury was radiating from Ham Ort.
｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Deceived｣ ｢Us｣ ｢For decades｣ ｢For centuries｣
｢?｣
Adhai could not comprehend.
To her and her kin alike, the concept of deception was nearly foreign. They were beings who spoke through thought-waves. Emotion bled directly into every transmission, as it did with Ham Ort at this very moment. Whatever might be true of lesser creatures, deceiving kin so attuned to psychic power was impossible.
｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Possesses｣ ｢Special stone｣ ｢Blocks｣ ｢Emotion｣ ｢From leaking｣
｢Stone?｣
｢Special stone｣ ｢Its owner｣ ｢Hides｣ ｢Emotions｣ ｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Cannot read｣ ｢Oude Grad's｣ ｢Heart｣
At Ham Ort's words, something stirred in Adhai's memory.
During her travels with the Big Elder, she had seen the ugly creatures carrying strange metal lumps wherever they went. Some of those lumps held very great power within them.
The ugly dwarves worked all sorts of wonders with their metal lumps. Sometimes they used them to torment her and the Big Elder; sometimes they wielded powers much like the ones her own kind commanded.
Perhaps Oude Grad, too, possessed one of those strange metal lumps — one that let him conceal the state of his own heart.
｢Curious｣ ｢Lies｣ ｢What?｣
｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Old｣ ｢New successor｣ ｢New black kin｣ ｢Should have emerged｣ ｢By now｣
｢Agree｣
｢But｣ ｢Oude Grad's flock｣ ｢Successor｣ ｢Black kin｣ ｢Has not appeared｣
What Ham Ort said about the absence of black kin was true. In all of Adhai's memory, she had never seen a black one besides Oude Grad.
Looking back, it had indeed been strange. Ham Ort's flock boasted plenty of white kin. Oude Grad's flock, maintained for far longer, should by all rights have produced black ones of its own — and yet it had not.
｢Flow of stars｣ ｢Changed｣ ｢For decades｣ ｢No black kin｣ ｢Have emerged｣
Adhai was not old, but even she could tell that what Ham Ort described was unnatural.
After all, hadn't she herself devoured a wide variety of prey in a remarkably short span, shedding her white scales for green? In a nest where every condition for growth was fulfilled, the absence of black kin was an impossibility.
｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Does not want｣ ｢Successor｣ ｢Discards｣ ｢Kin with potential to grow｣
｢?｣
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Witnessed｣ ｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Secretly｣ ｢Eliminating｣ ｢Kin｣
｢!｣
The words that followed went unspoken, but Adhai understood.
The aging patriarch had trampled the young sprouts beneath his feet to secure his own position. And not merely through banishment — he had sought out the kin he cast away himself, and killed them.
But Ham Ort's words were not yet finished.
｢Oude Grad｣ ｢Knows｣ ｢Daughter of the Shooting Star｣ ｢Potential｣
｢Potential?｣
｢Ham Ort｣ ｢Investigated｣ ｢Legends of the kin｣ ｢Ancient ones｣ ｢Spoke｣ ｢A savior｣ ｢Is needed｣
Ham Ort stretched out a forelimb and pointed it at Adhai.
｢Daughter of the Shooting Star｣ ｢Possesses｣ ｢The qualities｣ ｢Could become｣ ｢The true savior｣
Those were words Adhai had never once imagined.
All APEX creatures had their own defining quirks, and the Crystalwing was no exception — it had evolved in singular ways to survive a barren environment among competitors stronger than itself.
The most notable example was its sensory apparatus.
First, its eyes.
As a creature that flew at extreme altitudes, the Crystalwing possessed extraordinary vision. How extraordinary? It could spot a small creature more than ten kilometers away. Unlike the Terror Devil of the deserts, it had no 'Clairvoyance'-style ability, but it could rightly be said to possess simple, unadorned excellence of sight.
And yet that keen eyesight was not the true measure of the beast.
'It's essentially a flying radar.'
With every breath it drew, the Crystalwing emitted its own unique electromagnetic waves from its body. Just like the principle of radar itself, the waves radiating outward bounced back when they struck an object, allowing the creature to pinpoint the location of other living things.
The source of this ability so far removed from ordinary biology was the fluid the creatures secreted.
Until its body fully matured, a Crystalwing instinctively coated itself in its own secretions. Over time, this fluid hardened and layered, transforming into a peculiar metallic substance — and it was from this substance that the waves were generated.
Those waves served admirably in the hunt, but they were also turned to the creature's own protection. They created a near-permanent stealth effect, evading observation by all manner of radar equipment.
'That's why Crystalwing secretions fetch such an obscene price.'
In any case, given the creature's ecological traits, hiding beneath a tree or a rock was pointless. Short of burrowing deep underground, there was no escaping its detection.
'The orthodox strategy is to take Radio Jamming or Hijacking into the fight, but...'
Radio Jamming and Hijacking were traits that generated the wavelengths used to control electronic equipment. The Crystalwing was a living creature, but since it wielded electromagnetic waves, it was vulnerable to both. The standard tactic was to nullify or scramble its wave abilities, then strike.
I had neither of those traits at the moment — but I had one that could stand in for them.
'Fur of the Unknown Creature.'
This perk, granted through the Clever Underdog transformation, neutralized detection equipment, traits, and skills of every kind. With it active, I could slip beneath the creature's senses.
'Hiding won't be a problem.'
What mattered was how we would ambush them.
Having settled my thoughts, I called the kids together.
[Zzzt zzzt zzzt... (We need bait to lure them in when they come.)]
｢True. They're skittish and easily startled.｣
[Zzzzzzt... (Which is why...)]
I looked at No. 26.
[Zzzt... zzt... (You can adjust your power so it can't be seen, right?)]
｢Yes. I can.｣
At my request, No. 26 set the psychic power flowing through her body in motion. The energy that had been warping the surrounding air was all drawn back into her form. Even the faint purple glow that had shimmered over her pink bulk vanished completely.
'Good.'
The being before me now was not the dread terror of the deep. She was the Bubble Amoeba — Space Survival's beloved pet.
｢Like this?｣
[Zzzt zzzt... (Perfect.)]
｢Hehe!｣
[Zzzzzt zzzt zzt zzzzzt... (When the winged ones come, lure them in.)]
｢Leave it to me, Big Baby.｣
Clever girl.
I'd chosen her as bait for two reasons.
First: aside from me, No. 26 was the best in our group at concealing her own strength. When it came to handling psychic power, she surpassed even me, so playing the weakling cost her nothing at all. Seen with her power suppressed, she was unmistakably a Bubble Amoeba — nothing more than a harmless pink balloon.
'Even a wary Crystalwing should fall for that.'
The second reason was her color. A vivid pink creature perched atop a snow-white peak — with the Crystalwing's excellent eyesight on top of its electromagnetic senses, it would never miss her.
I lifted her up and set her down near the nest. She pulled out a tentacle and waved it at me, as if to say, trust me and go.
In place of words, I gently stroked her with the back of my hand — a silent please take care of this. Leaving her wriggling as though it tickled, I withdrew from the nest together with Mother of the Sky and PS-111.
[Zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt... (I was thinking of digging a pit behind that rock over there. What do you think?)]
｢If we're ambushing, that cluster of trees would be better.｣
[Zzzt zzt zzzt... (Not bad. Let's do it there.)]
"I will assist."
PS-111 and I dug into the ground where the trees lay scattered around the peak. Before long, we had a large pit roughly two meters deep and three meters across.
[Zzzt zzzzzt zzt... (Get in first and hold position.)]
"To avoid being tracked, correct? Understood."
Half of her body was machine — she was a Mutant Screamer, after all. Her frame constantly emitted faint electromagnetic signatures, and the moment a Crystalwing spotted them, we'd be made.
So I intended to hide her at the very bottom of the pit. Once she had settled herself at the bottom, I called Mother of the Sky over.
[Zzzzzt... (Ready?)]
｢Yep.｣
She had shifted into her beastman form rather than her griffin one. Since accepting the Wendigo's power, her appearance had changed slightly from before.
The white eagle's head, the golden fur covering her body, the powerful frame — all of that remained the same, but several new elements had been added.
Two small horns now grew from her head, and black, bone-shaped tattoos wound across her whole body. The rugged muscle had also softened, bringing out distinctly feminine curves.
If her old form had been that of a hardened warrior woman, this one was closer to the image of a primitive tribe's shaman.
With agile, fluid movements she lowered herself over PS-111, who lay waiting in the pit. In beastman form she was far smaller than in her griffin shape, so she could conceal her body with ease.
'Good.'
I lowered my own body over them like a lid. From head to tail I measured five meters — more than enough to cover the pit's opening completely.
'That should keep us under their detection.'
Honestly, I knew this wasn't a perfect plan. Which was exactly why I'd set No. 26 out as bait — to pull their attention elsewhere.
There was nothing more we could do.
'Now all that's left is to wait.'
Since no one knew when the Crystalwings would return, we waited. And waited.
[Zzzzzt zzt... (You hungry?)]
｢I'm fine!｣
"I require an energy supply. Please provide one of the small parasites generated by the 'Amorph' body."
｢You just ate though? More?｣
"Sustained energy replenishment is necessary to withstand the ongoing load."
｢...You're going to pop. I'm not heavy, you know.｣
So we traded idle chatter.
｢I think I can mark one of the two Crystalwings.｣
[Zzzzzt zzzt... (With the Wendigo's power?)]
｢Yeah. It's an adult, so I can't hold it for long.｣
[Zzzzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzt zzzzzt... (Males are more resistant than females — go for the female.)]
And we talked through how we would fight.
"The creature designated 'Amorph' seems to share many characteristics with my own model."
[Zzzt zzt zzt zzzt zzt zzzt zzzzt zzzt... (Perhaps the ones who built you modeled you after me.)]
"Did you ever meet my developers?"
[Zzzt zzzzt zzzzzt... (Well, 'met' is a strong word.)]
"If my developers were to see the 'Amorph,' they would most certainly not remain idle."
[Zzzt zzt zzzzt... (Likewise for me.)]
So we passed the time, touching on matters we'd never had the chance to discuss.
Not one of us had weak physical constitutions. Even unable to move for days on end, none of us faced any real danger to our lives.
Boredom, however, was another matter entirely.
We traded stories for the first day, but by the second, everyone had gone quiet.
PS-111 entered dormancy on the grounds of energy conservation, and Mother of the Sky, likewise, sank into sleep. No. 26, playing bait, had dug out the gem pellets from the nest and was playing with them.
She had to stand watch as bait without even being able to sleep, and it seemed cruel to leave her bored, so I taught her air-juggling. She seemed awkward with it at first, but once she got the hang of it, she threw herself into it completely. Even now, she was endlessly tossing several dozen gems into the air with a single tentacle and catching them again.
'A Sea Demon playing air-juggling.'
In the game, she'd been the kind to juggle people.
'Well, as long as she's having fun.'
Taking my mind off No. 26 as she entertained herself, I returned my focus to the task at hand.
With no telling when the Crystalwings would return, I had been on continuous watch since the day before. The auxiliary organ beneath my jaw worked around the clock, cataloguing every change in the black sky above the peak.
'This reminds me of the old days.'
I'd once waited out a long vigil for a Crystalwing in the game too — staking out a position near its nest, biding my time until the creatures returned.
It had been less tedious back then, though. Crystals made from Crystalwing secretions commanded extremely high prices, so rivals hunted them in droves.
From their perspective, keeping the Crystalwings alive and milking the secretions was far more profitable. A completely different position from mine — I was after their very lives.
'Thanks to them, there'd never been a dull moment in those fights.'
Truthfully, it had all worked out in my favor either way. The more I fought against players, the more genetic essences found their way into my mouth.
'...Though there were plenty of strange ones, too.'
One Megacorp ranker who'd lost to me, clinging to the belief that what he couldn't have no one else should have, had towed an entire warship into orbit just to bombard the area. He'd died in his own strike — I remember losing the unique trait I was carrying to that blast.
Lost in memories of the past, I let the hours slip by, and before I knew it, our allotted time was drawing to a close.
'One hour left now.'
I gazed up at the lightless sky. Nothing met my eyes but white snowflakes and black clouds.
'Should I start looking for another way?'
I had come after the Crystalwing specifically to hunt an APEX and claim a spaceflight trait in one stroke, but if wings alone were all I needed, other paths existed. There weren't many winged creatures on the ice planet, but there were some.
'Head back down, secure wings first, then hunt the Crystalwing after—'
I was just debating whether to wake the kids when something registered on my auxiliary organ.
Something utterly unlike the gale whipping across the peak brushed against my fur. It was a faint, feeble current, as though someone had exhaled softly right beside me — but I did not let it slip past.
It felt similar to the sensation I'd experienced when approaching the ship's engine room or its central computer.
Something that could never, under any circumstances, be felt atop this white peak — where there wasn't a machine to be seen, let alone a single person.
It was, unmistakably, an electromagnetic wave.
'They're here!'
The ones I had waited for and waited for — the Crystalwings were returning to their nest.