Basil and Auriz were walking in the shadows of the giant toadstools. Both were silent, Basil was tense, and Auriz didn't understand what was on his mind. To break the silence while they headed towards the river, Auriz began to talk.

"How do you get ideas?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, how did you think of me creating legs when I didn't?"

"I suppose it is because you didn't have the means to move."

"So, you thought of a way for me to move just because I couldn't move? That's too simple."

"Well, to be truthful here, I have been conscious more time than you, and I know the importance of being able to escape something."

"I see, that makes sense. There is something following us."

"What?"

"I said, there is something following us."

"How? No matter, let's prepare ourselves first, then we will talk about what else you can do."

Basil expulsed some spikes so that Auriz could support him. Something was hunting then.

Evalyne finally got a Visual of Basil and could only be the Life-Core of the Golemite accompanying him. She called the "team" to her suite to see in more detail how Basil was doing, but first.

"Computer, can you change the aspect and the furniture in this place to include more people?"

"Yes, Miss Evalyne, how would you like it to be?"

"Like a conference room of sorts, with chairs comfortable enough."

"Command accepted"

The suite began to expand, and comfy couches replaced the bed, nightstand, and other furniture, putting them In a circular motion around the holographic planet and the screens, just in time for the arrivals entering through the teleporter.

The first to enter was Moraeus, looking at Evalyne with all his eyes.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." — Spoke Moraeus while doing a reverence.

"Wow, I didn't expect one of you to be so gentlemanly. You are welcome. Take a seat."

The next to enter was Mardok.

"Hello, Evalyne."

"Yeah, you can go fuck yourself in one of the couches."

"As feminine as ever I see."

"I think we are pretty much out of that kind of thing knowing our age and experiences."

"Be it, as it may."

The next to enter was Bik.

"There we have our lucky ethereal. I must say you look good. I see why the Salad was always stalking you." — Mentioned Bik while making a mocking face in Mardok's direction.

"And here we have our great strategist. Of course, thank you for the compliment, but let's keep it clear this is a business, and I don't want to talk about the tree hugger now." — Uttered Evalyne while taking a glimpse of Mardok. — "So if you must, please take a seat."

"Sure, of course, I will take a seat.

Evalyne waited for the last one to appear, but no one came.

"There wasn't a fourth of you?"

"Dusanog said she couldn't come right away because she had some matter to attend in the city." — Contested Moraeus.

"Wait, the wisp is a girl?"

"Not exactly, sometimes it is a he, she others, we don't know for sure. Either way, Dusanog doesn't mind because, as you know, it is an Ethereal any way." — Replied Bik.

"I see. Well, Basil right now is in the Fungal Cavern again. I don't know how he managed to come back, but it is good he did. That way, maybe he could reach the surface with more exploration and time. The Core at his side is his new companion. From what I could tell in these hours, the video came back."

"Uh, what is that black thing in one of the screens?" — Asked Bik.

"What? What thing?" — Evalyne looked at what Bik was referring to and could only see in horror that the thing that almost killed Basil just got bigger.

"So, it was expecting me to come back?" — Thought Basil while looking at the now larger mass of tentacles with blue luminescent stripes covering its tendrils.

Basil could see between all those wriggling feelers a mouth with hundreds of tiny teeth moving like a saw. Still no eyes, but Basil knew it was here for him because one of the tendrils didn't have the bone lance in it and was ripped off.

"So this is what you were afraid of?" — Asked Auriz.

"Not anymore. Try to defend me of any tentacle that gets close to me."

"I will try."

Basil created his spiked helmet with holes to have a good vision and covered himself in thick spikes so those lances could not impale him. The Ihema let out a filled with hate and launched many spiked tendrils to finish what started a long time ago. Basil parried and deviated the same tentacles with ease while getting close to the thing.

The Ihema looking it was not working like before, changed its position on the mushrooms and tried to lacerate instead of piercing. To its surprise, some spikes altered the direction of its attacks, making it fail, thus giving Basil a chance to get closer to the Ihema.

"Don't let its tentacles get close to me. I have to reach it to hurt it. If you can, try to impede its movement from that place." — Mentioned Basil.

"You got it."

While Basil climbed the Mushroom, Auriz tried to maintain the Ihema distracted with the bone spikes. Because she needed to concentrate on the attacks, she couldn't move from her spot, making it easier for the Ihema to reach her, but her body was more rigid, and the Ihema didn't have enough strength to pierce it, only scratch it at most. Something was going on. Where was its prey? Had it escaped again? No, this was a distraction!

The mass of tentacles realized the trap late, but it still could see in all the directions, and that's when it noticed the Lizard looking at its back. Basil knew this as well, but this didn't deter his determination as he began to run atop the Toadstool to reach it.

The Ihema was about to move from the spot when a bone spike stopped it in its track, piercing part of its body. Basil took hold of this opportunity and launched himself headfirst against the body of the Ihema. The creature, to defend itself, pulled many chunks of fungus and its tentacles to diminish the force of the attack.

Basil seeing this, elongated the bone on his head and pushed as hard as he could with his body, impaling the Ihema and making both fell to the floor, accompanied by screeches and other tentacles making their way in Basil defenses. Both of them were on the floor, trying to overpower the other.

Basil Bit and tore with his claws at the Ihema, while this last ripped his scales and bone spikes in a gory fashion with its tendrils. Both were in a Deadlock. Auriz hurried to their position, and with her telekinetic powers, took hold of as many tentacles she could stop, giving an advantage to Basil.

With no means to attack and get the lizard off of it, The Ihema Screeched at Basil's face with its row of teeth as a last display of intimidation. Basil didn't care, and with an arm filled with bone spikes, traversed the mouth, impaling the internal organs of the Ihema, making it silent finally. Basil filed with new cuts, broken bones, and covered in his orange and green blood, let out a growl in victory as it ripped apart the thing that gave him nightmares.

In a suite, a Limited was walking in the room looking at the screens. It was a being with black skin, a well-built humanoid shape, and an octopus face with yellow eyes. But an alert began to sound while he looked at the other screens.

"Alert! One of your champions got terminated." — The computer proclaimed. With tranquility, the Limited, know as Oruleth walked towards the screens with his hands in his back.

"Who killed it?"

"Specimen named "Basil" Species Core Gekkonidae."

"I see, something else I should know?"

"The creature is a Champion of a Limited and managed to escape the Specimen I-23 in a posterior event while it hunted it."

"Very well, If it manages to kill another one of the specimens, give me a notification to prepare a defense with the other ones."

"Alert configuration saved."

"Another Champion got Terminated, Sir. Ma'am?" — Asked the Android seeing the new look of its Boss.

"Ah, this. A Limited managed to Ascend finally, and she was a great woman, so I am giving her an honor of sorts with this look."

"Yes, Ma'am"

"Now, where you saying something about a termination?"

"Yes, By now, twenty-three champions got killed by fauna or other champions, mostly on the surface of the planet."

"Magnificent! is some of them worth noting?"

"There are six who have managed to conquer some small spaces from other champions and two who got followers.

"Perfect, give those something nice to keep them in fighting shape. We don't want these new stars to die early, don't we?

"Right away, Ma'am."