《The Abyss That Stares》Chapter 3: Combat Tactics
Advertisement
…
Loud.
Annoyed.
Hungry.
“X1, move to testing grounds.”
Move. Home opens, move. Wave eye tentacle, look at interferers.
Strange. More interferers now. Not wearing white armor. Black armor.
And previous Interferers scared.
Not… scared. Different. Lesser.
Cowardice?
“Sir, we haven’t tested X1 against multiple cmobatnats before. This may joeprodize the pmrosing results we’ve clolected s-”
“Doctor… it’s out of my hnads. I’m sorry. Espceially after the utter failure of your y-series prjoect and and z-series prj-project. Cloonel Bnenet wants to push the testing forward. To see if it’s worth continuing to alolcate resources to i- is that thing looking at us?”
“Yes sir. X1 searches for ingterigy weaknesses in the galss nearly every test.”
New interferer shakes.
Smug.
Wiggle.
“...”
“Sir?”
“It’s not lsitening to us, is it?”
“Hhgily unlikely sir. Previous phsycial ex...”
Annoyed.
No prey. No biomass. No new structures.
Why here?
Hungry.
Move back to ho-
Home closes!?
FRUSTRATED!
Wiggle.
Loud.
Vibrations in air.
PREY!
Look for prey.
…
Three prey?
Big. Same as earlier prey, but bigger. And more.
Recognize structure. Fur. Sharper teeth.
Prey stares. Develop more eyes, grow big. Intimidate.
Deterred. Does not approach.
Circling around. Patient. Different from previous prey. Does not charge.
Circle to closest prey. Watch others.
Loud.
Different loud, coming from all prey.
Fly. Fl-
FAST!
FASTER THAN PREVIOUS PREY!
FLY PAINNN STAB!
Prey drops main body and moves before tentacle reaches.
Cowardice.
5% of main body gone. Repa-
OTHER PREY ATTACKS! STAB!
Prey moves again, before tentacles reach.
Annoyed.
Tentacles too slow.
Develop twitch muscle. Refine twitch muscle. Harden tentacles. Sharpen tentacles. Elongate tentacle.
Farthest prey attacks… patient…
STAB!
Prey moves, but tentacle is longer now! Pierced! Front structure of movement damaged, weakness!
ATTACK WITH MORE TENTACLES!
STAB!
PAIINN!
OTHER PREY ATTACKED WHILE LOOKING AT WEAK PR-
Advertisement
PAAAIIINNN!
Third prey attacks.
BAD! DON’T LIKE! STAB!
Distressed sounds. Both prey move out of reach.
40% of main body destroyed. 20% of tentacles damaged. Brain slightly damaged. Core undamaged.
Relief. Core is most important.
Wave eye tentacles. Injured all three prey. Circling, loud noise from all three again. Not distressed sound… intimidate noise?
Inferior. Does not work.
But not good.
Will be eaten.
IDEA!
REMEMBER HARD BUT WEAK PREY!
Develop rigid armor. Refine rigid armor. Cover main body. Move tentacles inside armor.
Hide.
Frustrated. Is cowardice. But will be eaten if don’t.
Develop eyes on armor. Watch prey.
Circling. Patient. All three prey weakened, but not enough.
Biggest prey moves closer. Puts front head structure against armor, structure twitches. Strange.
Other preys approach. Pushes movement structure against armor.
Smug. Armor on all sides. No more pain.
PAIN!
Sharper teeth almost pierce armor.
Refine rigid armor.
Satisfaction. Teeth do not pierce armor.
Will not be eaten, but… frustrated. Also can not eat prey.
Hungry.
Must replenish biomass.
IDEA!
Remove small pieces of armor. Only enough for tentacles.
Refine twitch muscle. Develop endurance muscle. Refine endurance muscle. Develop sharp teeth on tentacles. Sharpen tentacles. Patient… wait for prey to approach again…
Preys approach…
PIERCE!
Only hit one prey, moves before can pierce head. But!
Wrap…
Constrict.
Distressed sounds, tentacle teeth now piercing through fur. Prey’s movement structures attack tentacles, severing 10%. Develop more tentacles, wrap more.
CONSTRICT!
Crackkkk!
Loud crack. Prey stills. Drag to armor. Remove armor.
Eat. Eat eat eat.
PAIN!
BUT MUST RESTORE BIOMASS!
EAT EAT EAT EAT STAB!
Constrict.
Crack.
Second prey stills, third prey attacks.
Tentacles replenished. Enlarge. Lengthen tentacles.
PIERCE! FROM SIDES AND FRONT!
Prey moves, only 40% of tentacles pierce. But teeth keep tentacles inside.
Drag prey to main body. Prey struggles.
Smug.
Does not matter.
Advertisement
Pierce head.
Eat eat eat eat eat eat ea-
PAINNN!
Move. Move to home before more pain.
But ate lots of prey before pain.
New structure: Foreleg. Hindleg. Thick fur. Claws. Complex olfactory system. Complex auditory nervous system. Partial predator quadrupedal skeletal system. Compacted red-tissue muscle system.
100% increase in main body size and 40% increase in tentacles, after damage.
Auditory nervous system is superior to earlier audio perceptors. Red-tissue muscle system is superior to earlier twitch muscles.
Happy.
Wiggle.
Interferers communicating. .
“-haps cnogrtaulations are in order, Doctor Rester. I’ll be happy to report to the clo-Colonel that the X-series project is a rseonduing success. It’s good to see that lab three isn’t the only cmopotent team we have.”
“... Yes, sir. Tahn-Thank you.”
...
“Doctor… X1 has always been burtlaly effective in its mtehods, but... This was something else.“
“... and be happy that it was, Dve-Devon. We came this close to losing X1.”
“Doctor, I don’t know if you just saw the same thing I did. It tore through lab two’s mutated hnuting hnouds like they were ntohing!”
Hnuting hnouds! HATE HNUTING HNOUDS! STRONG PREY AND RELIES ON OTHERS!? COWARDICE! UNFAIR!
“And if the colonel hadn’t ordered to put X1 against an unmutated, infantile rihnoceros before that? Or a python before that!? All things X1 was not, at the time, prepared to test against!?”
“Whoa doc, I’m sensing some hsotility there. You and the Colonel know each other? I mean, prseonally, I’d try to have it killed too. No offesne”
“... No, it’s nothing. I aploigze for my outburst Devon, Mr. Stndaseh.”
Angry. Mr. Stndaseh again!? HATE MR. STNDASEH! ALWAYS WANTS TO DESTROY MAIN BODY!
WIIIIIGGGLLLE!
“Devon, please feed-”
FEED! Happy.
Wiggle.
“-X1 double, no, triple the usual biomass size. We’re going to have to move X1 to the next stage of testing.”
“But doctor, X1 isn-”
“Devon. Triple the usual.”
“... Yes doctor.
Move.
Biomass comes.
“Thanks Doc!”
Eat. Eat eat eat eat eat eat.
“... did you say something Mr. Stndas-Standesh?”
“Nope, why?”
“... you’re sure?”
“Pretty sure, yeah.”
“... Alright.”
Still hungry.
New structures require more biomass. But worth.
And brain. Brain very worth. Would not have had armor and tentacle idea without brain.
Stasis.
...
Advertisement
- In Serial63 Chapters
Wanderers of the New World
(Temporary Break. Working on some things in the story.)What would happen if you were suddenly transported in another world? Well, that's exactly what happened to our protagonist, Terrin Tachibana. He is your run-of-the-mill guy. Dull, mediocre, average or anything that is within the realm of ordinary. One that lives in the world without any special talent on him, without anything that would make him stand out. So what exactly would happen if a witch transported this kind of person in a world full of monsters? Join him as Terrin enters a convenience store not knowing he would be transported and meet people that would change his life, for better or for worse, as he becomes a wanderer. A Wanderer of this New World. (Pictures are not mine, just edited it.) P.S. The style of this fiction is similar to a Japanese Light Novel.
8 217 - In Serial8 Chapters
Empire
A story of a thief's deal to be a god's champion.Author's Corner:This will be my first work, so please be kind. I welcome corrections on spelling, grammar, and general constructive criticism because I make mistakes. I'll try as hard as I can to update consistently, but life happens sometimes, so keep checking, happy reading, and I hope you like it!
8 80 - In Serial42 Chapters
From An Omega To A Hunter
"Look your too weak I can't accept you as a mate you'll only shame yourself and this pack " my own mate said to me ....My mate rejected me on my eighteen birthday and the day after my own parents was backing him, so to telI you the truth I couldn't handle that but as much as I cried over it I knew the reason he did it tho, every pack has a trial or test that the alpha's mates has to take in order to become the Luna of the packI know it sounds stupid but that's the law that the alpha king declared after the war that took place, most alpha lost there mate because they weren't able to defend them self or the pack so to put it simple if I don't have strength and knowledge I can't be Luna Being the alphas reject mate was not a pretty repetition for me, especially since i know that there's gonna be contest to pick out the most fairest she- wolf of them all while I'll be at home sulking about it, so in that instance I made up my mind and left the pack and everyone behind as well.After that I found myself being Something I never dreamed of 'a hunter' and not just any hunter but 'an assassin hunter' never have I heard of a werewolf being a hunter much less an omega, most would have laughed but now I'm feared.After four years of my disappearance I was sent on mission back to my old pack, somewhere i never dreamed of seeing again but here i was seeing the people i once called family and the place i once called home
8 480 - In Serial9 Chapters
Levi's Sick Day
Who knew that some slightly undercooked meat could make Corporal Levi so miserable.
8 112 - In Serial49 Chapters
Shadow of Light (Uruk-Hai x She-Elf)
As the war rumbles, on elf lives unawares from the safety of her forest, until the war comes to meet her on her land, bringing more than she could ever have expected. (Based on Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, and the original books) Warnings: Mildly graphic battle sequence and moderately sexual tones.
8 115 - In Serial20 Chapters
The Parent Trap
Twins mean double trouble
8 66
Prev Chap
Next Chap
Chap List
Boy
Girl
