Lings by Andrews Atticus

Author:Andrews, Atticus
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alabaster Associates, LLC
Published: 2020-12-18T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 52

With three tumblers and three underlings under his command, Krill was beginning to feel like his was a force to be reckoned with. It wasn't much in the broad scheme of things, but compared to what he'd had before, this almost felt like a real horde.

The newborn tumblers looked like massive pill bugs as some Yumens called them. Their armor wasn't the usual armor of underlings. Their exoskeletons were made up of huge circular plates that covered their bodies, allowing maximum maneuverability. More importantly, it allowed them to curl themselves up into balls that could roll around, tumbling over their enemies.

Another critical characteristic of the new brood was that each one had the ability to use a stealth cloak, just like Spectra. While Krill, Herbert and Clickbait could not cloak, the rest of the horde could. It seemed to confirm the theory that Spectra had to first master the Rifter ability before she could imbue it to her offspring.

The new queenling was still an embryo. Apparently, queenlings took longer to hatch than ordinary units. Their bodies had the capacity to carry on the entire Krath species, and that process took time. Krill remembered how long he'd had to wait for Spectra to hatch. Would this queenling take that long too? Perhaps under the care of a Hive Mother, the hatching would be faster than within a Yumen host.

Watching the new units practice, Krill salivated at the thought of fighting alongside them in battle. They would wreak havoc when the Yumens returned. But first, they needed to train. They needed to learn basic tactics and how to make use of the tumblers in a fight. Most of all, they needed to get used to their bodies so they could fight.

Krill needed everyone to be ready for when that did occur. Spectra would continue to hatch new underlings and tumblers for as long as they could.

"Will they be ready?" Spectra said, watching Krill oversee drills with the newborn underlings.

His eyes darted at them as they ran sprints up and down the side of the cave. They needed to use their muscles as quickly as possible after hatching to accelerate their bodies' adaptations. "I do not know," Krill said.

Helmet blinked blue. He was resting near Spectra's base, monitoring the status of the unhatched queenling. "You will be facing overwhelming odds," Helmet said. "Most likely, you will die here."

Krill flicked his tongue and hissed.

"My, my," Helmet said. "I shall choose not to interpret that as a rude gesture. I am only stating the obvious. Seven fighting units are no match for a proper marine contingent."

"How many will they send?" Spectra clicked. Her tendrils slithered on the ground like snakes.

"While one cannot know for sure," Helmet said. "As a tactical AI, my estimations are fairly useful under these circumstances, as humans will be relying on similar simulated combat scenarios."

"Oookay," Spectra said. "And?"

"Ah, yes," Helmet said. "300."

Krill's jaw dropped, and his tail flattened out. He nearly choked on his own acid. "What?" he clicked.

"300 marines will be sent in to fight," Helmet said.

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