Chapter 295
Victor DeRosa was having a bad day. In the years since they landed on this forsaken rock, things had gone so well. His labor force was hyper-efficient, and with the regenerative power of the fungi he’d adapted, they were able to work day and night with no rest. They’d gotten the ship into an appropriate environment, done some minor excavation, and set up a lovely settlement beneath the crust.
Unfortunately, it hadn’t been quite the right fit. No, the colony had needed to expand, upward and outward. So, his city had gotten to work. The people he’d gifted with connection – because he did see it as a gift – had grown more powerful along with him, and after his most recent evolution, he hadn’t wanted to expose them to the world. Now, with stones bombarding his beautiful city nonstop, he was forced to make a move.
Of course, he wouldn’t deploy real, valuable resources. A few of the former unawakened had been forcibly raised to D Grade, courtesy of his gift. They would make fine distractions, but he still hated wasting assets. Everybody had a part to play in building his utopia, after all.
Shifting his enormous bulk on the four thick stalks he now used as legs, he shuffled over toward a glowing, pulsing wall of deep violet mushroom. He raised a long, clawed hand to it, feeling his mind connect more deeply. And there it is, he thought.
Naturally, the expansion of his city hadn’t been just for aesthetic purposes. The first structures he’d erected were for detection; understanding the system around, and finding a more suitable place to call home. While he’d taken precautions, simply having the Corthian Mining ship as part of their base of operations was a risk. The captain, after receiving the gift, had plenty to share regarding the personal power of Angela and her nephews.
What he’d been waiting for was confirmation that they were coming to the surface. The large ship in orbit made no attempts at stealth, and if Victor’s records were correct, it belonged to Malcolm Corthus. It was descending, along with several advance shuttles in response to the D Grades that he’d deployed.
Victor had always known that this would be a temporary stop, a home for the time being. He’d sincerely hoped that they would launch an orbital strike and destroy the surface colony, which would allow him to take the next steps unhindered. Unfortunately, with their slow incursion, they would eventually make their way to the subterranean colony, something that was unacceptable.
Victor rested the palms of his hands on the wall, melding with them as he fully released his aura for the first time since his evolution. Power gathered as formations that had been slowly absorbing mana for years activated all at once, and Victor found his target; a tropical moon covered in dense jungles on the other side of the system.
All of the E Grade mushroom drones he’s created shuffled away from the central ring as his D Grades brought three large pods with them, each carrying one of his hibernating lieutenants. The glow intensified as more and more energy poured into the formation, the shuttle’s own equipment and formations having been repurposed for exactly this goal. Wait for it, Victor thought, quelling his own excitement.
Finally, the large ship touched down, and the sensory stalks picked up the unmistakable presence of a mid-tier C Grade. Now. With a thought, Victor activated Mycelic Vortex, the latest upgrade to his Mana Whorl. Power exploded from him in all directions, and his torso swayed as he took control of all the energy that had been gathering. There was a flash, a bright light, and the thick pod carrying Victor and his chosen few broke through the ground and into the light of day.
Of course, he’d also detonated the entirety of the city, using the explosion of energy to mask their escape. Besides, leaving a parting gift to uninvited visitors was only good manners. As the colony lit up in a flare of light, a cloud of spores spread out from the epicenter. They didn’t settle to the ground, not right away. Instead, crackling energy kept it aloft, shrouding their escape behind an obscuring curtain. The moment the pod made it to the outer atmosphere, a second explosion of shrouding spores was released at the same time the propulsion formations used by the larger shuttle activated. Hidden by the shroud, the pod changed directions, rocketing toward Victor’s new home. The foothold of his new dynasty.
~~~
Darkness descended over the planet as Garth stared at Amir, mushrooms growing to once again obscure his face. His blade lowered for just a moment as he watched Amir, a mix of emotions washing over him. They’d known each other for a long time, since even before the calamity struck Earth. When he’d taken his position of leadership, he and Thomas had become some of his closest confidants. And now, his old friend stood before him, infested, and dangerous.
The monster – Amir – let out another howl as it charged toward him. His right arm and claw extended, attempting to tear into Garth. With the effects of Leader’s Mantle boosting his attributes, he ducked underneath the attack with ease. However, the skill was a blessing and a curse. Once the timer ran out, Garth would be weakened, and the tides of the battle would turn. Though the infested Amir was not a powerhouse by any stretch of the imagination, he would still be more than enough to kill Garth’s team. It was a risk he couldn’t take. By now, the mushrooms were entirely covering Amir’s face. It’s better this way.
“I’m sorry,” Garth whispered. Then, after a quick activation of Fleet Foot, he activated Skyrend again, and again. One thing Garth learned over the years was that the best way to deal with regeneration was with overwhelming force. Skyrend differed from his original Air Blade, in that a wave of destruction followed each strike, making it a multi-pronged attack. His consistent activations of the skill reduced the area around Amir to rubble, nothing recognizable of his old friend.
Garth stood there, panting as Leader’s Mantle began to disperse. The backlash was far less than it had been when he was in E Grade, but the wave of weakness was still disorienting. He barely noticed. Quiet rage and sorrow burned in his chest as his eyes remained fixed on the destroyed remains. You deserved better.
Pink and blue flashes lit up the dark sky as a plume of smoke and dust rose from the fungal colony. The cloud was spreading, with even Garth able to feel the weight and pressure of the mana behind it. Whatever was behind the explosion, it was well into C Grade, and beyond anything Garth had faced so far.
And the first D Grade I killed was one of my old friends, he thought bitterly. His nav bracelet lit up with a variety of pings, with one general message that was consistent. Get indoors. With a grunt, he leapt over the wall of the rally point and strode into the habitation.
Joseph was the first to see the expression on Garth’s face, raising a hand to quiet the room as Garth stepped up to the second level of the building. He looked out at them, meeting their eyes one by one, before he finally spoke.
“That thing that attacked us… was Amir. We found the shuttle, and we found out what happened to the other evacuees from Earth. I don’t know what you should expect when we get to the colony – if – we get to the colony; but I want you all to prepare for the worst. If you knew anybody who was on the missing shuttle, there’s a chance that they’ve been infested, too.”
Looks of horror and fear spread across Garth’s team, with Mary Ellen trying, and failing, to hold back tears. They’d all met Amir before, worked with him, shared meals with him. They’d mourned when the shuttle carrying many of their friends went missing, expecting the worst. This mission, to a large extent was to give them closure. To solve a mystery, and put an end to the what-ifs. Now, though, the discovery was worse than they ever imagined.
Garth let the silence sit for a minute, giving them all a chance to work through what he’d shared. They would undoubtedly have questions, want to understand more, but there simply wasn’t much that Garth could offer. For now, he knew that he just needed to remain strong. To show them that he could handle it. Do it for them, he reminded himself.
A series of messages rang through their nav bracelets, and Joseph opened them, projecting the notes to the group.
Attention all personnel,
Air quality alerts are in effect. Large-scale atmospheric event has taken place, seek shelter and remain inside enclosed spaces, if possible.
Attention all personnel,
The atmospheric event has inhibited propulsion systems. Mechanics are working on identifying and remediating the issue. Land any airborne crafts or shuttles until mechanics can ensure flightworthiness.
Attention all personnel,
Long range scanners have been disrupted due to the atmospheric event. Sensors are unreliable at this time. Stay sheltered, and maintain a watch. We will provide an ETA on system functionality.
It was no surprise that there was a shelter-in-place order, though it was news to Garth that all the landed crafts were grounded. And with the scanners out of commission… He looked skyward, only seeing the ceiling of the rally point. Still, he remembered the huge plume of smoke. What caused that? And what is it hiding? Garth wondered.
He pushed the thought aside as he checked his own nav bracelet, which had private messages from Chester and Malcolm. He opened the one from Chester first.
Boltsbury,
Unsure what happened, but we’ve taken shelter. We faced some D Grade opposition, it looks like humans had been taken and infested with the mushrooms. We don’t have positive identification, however there is a chance that this is related to the missing survivors. When you’re able, please report in.
-Chester
Garth nodded, feeling a knot in his stomach. He expected as much, but the presence of multiple D Grade infested humans confirmed that the survivors had been transformed into these creatures. How they became so powerful was a mystery, one that was beyond his expertise. Still, the notion that an unawakened like Amir could ever fight against somebody like Garth would have been ridiculous to consider not long ago. And if there’s an army of D Grades…
He felt a chill run down his spine at the thought. Finally, he checked his second message.
All,
We landed to provide support, and have been grounded. Our scanners aren’t working well, though one thing is clear: a C Grade is present. I will be leading the vanguard myself, as the spores clear. Await further instructions, and stay ready to fall in and support where possible.
-Malcolm
That, at least, gave Garth some small comfort. If Malcolm was going to personally take the field, it meant that he recognized the potential threat. Even among C Grades, Malcolm was no slouch. With him on their side, whatever C Grade presence was behind the explosion would need to look out.
Of course, there was still a nagging feeling at the back of Garth’s mind, a seed that Chester had planted before they’d even landed to investigate the fungal colony. What happened to DeRosa?