Much like the room we were just in, entering into the restricted section there was enclosure after enclosure of unique entities. Only this ti there was a butt load of security. Sentry turrets placed in strategic locations of the roof and walls and a guard stationed every few ters with so seriously powerful equipnt that was giving the heebie-jeebies.
That being said, the security wasn’t the interesting part, no it was the creatures. From the truly eldritch creatures with tentacles, eyes, more tentacles and more eyes. To the more mundane things like a snake that was so black it looked two dinsional. There were so many specins in here that I could tell from a cursory glance around the large building that I could get lost in here for months just learning about every creature’s property and perhaps find so upgrades for my splicing. My genes were stable now after all and my eyes and legs could use so company.
As I walked idly through the exhibits with my arm decoration, Gabrielle, I finally stumbled upon sothing familiar. A bipedal reptilian creature. Blue in colour and full of scales. It had horns atop its head making it look even taller than it was. The Starforged was still different to what I have seen from that Rekosh fellow. His scales were cracked in certain locations, like tattoos that glowed an aethereal Lilac.
Upon feeling my gaze, the being got up off its rest bench and walked towards the barrier between us. It brandished its teeth into a snarl before spitting on the barrier. It then turned away and lay back down, covering itself with sheets to be left alone.
Reading the plaque next to the enclosure, I spoke aloud. "Logrik. Psi-lancer. strength class: warlord?"
My arm decoration then humd in affirmation before adding. "Lancers are Starforged Psionic elites. Not the tip of the spear, but still very strong. We don’t see them much as the Starforged prefer fighting against the Drakoshi and leave the majority of their allies and smaller batches of warriors against us. Not that I am complaining. Thurx drones might be weak, but enough would be capable of killing our strongest eventually."
I nodded in agreent at Gabrielle’s assessnt of the Thurx. Their strafes were very annoying during my rcenary mission and their ground troops just kept piling up around during the siege of Bastion, leaving open to attack. Swarm tactics tended to be quite effective in general, Steel or bioform. It’s why Jewel does what she does. It just works.
"Ah, I see you have t Logrik. Isn’t he a charr?" A voice sounded from behind us. Turning around it was none other than Yacob. I smiled and nodded. "I suppose, though I think his barrier needs a cleaning."
Yacob then rolled his eyes as he noticed what I was referring to before speaking in a goading tone. "Oh, yeah. He does that. He is still salty that he fell for such a basic trap that even a hatchling wouldn’t fall for. He-he-he."
A fraction of a mont later and a loud thud banged against the barrier. "You speak lies YACOB! Co in here and say that to my face! You coward!"
"No, no I don’t think I will co in there Logrik. I’ve had my spine broken one too many tis thank you very much." Yacob spoke calmly, prompting the Starforged to snort.
"Break your spine? Oh, I will do so much worse than break those pitiful calcium deposits you call bones Yacob! I w-"
"-Do I need to put you back in tiout Logrik? Do you rember the last ti?"
The two locked eyes between the barrier for a mont before Logrik began to walk backwards very slowly, not breaking eye contact till he was back at his bed, at which point he covered up once more.
Yacob kept his gaze on the Starforged a mont longer before turning his attention back to us. "Sorry about that, I got caught up in the act. I digress. Apollo. Nice to see you again, congratulations on your successes last week. I heard your Sapphire helped out a great deal though perished twice in the process? Might I have a quick observation of her condition? Don’t worry about my prior threat, I understand how Sapphire materialises. Oh! And my security systems won’t attack."
I looked around, the large group had fanned out quite a bit, but Sapphire would draw attention. I shrugged my shoulders though and before I could even breathe, Yacob turned around and smiled.
"Haha! I felt the Psionic fluctuation that ti! It is so minute and so efficient! Barely even registers, but it was there. Hello Sapphire, how are you today?"
"Moo."
"Do you mind if I have another quick look at your form?" Yacob asked.
"M-oo?!?"
Sapphire was about to give her consent to the funny man, but the man had moved quicker than she had expected and began poking at her side in a ticklish way. She didn’t mind though and let the man mumble as he inspected her.
"No damage, no scars. True dematerialisation. Incredible! Apollo, my boy. How do you manage to intake such an amount of energy so quickly to renourish her twice in a day period? Her sheer mass and girth alone, it must be an arduous task."
Scratching the back of my head, I spoke honestly, but cryptically. "I have practiced a special ditation technique since I was a child. As a result I basically inhale Psionics at this point after expelling."
Yacob then nodded. "Hmm, Yeah, that would do it. Secret techniques are ironically the answer for a lot of questions related to Psionics. Now, how are-"
"-There! You! How dare you show your face here after what your brute of a sister did to ! I should sue you! In fact! I will unless you et my condition! hand over ownership of your beast to and-"
*SMACK!*
The familiar young man was suddenly struck in the face by Yacob so hard he was sent flying into a group of onlookers.
Yacob then pinched his glabella ’This little shit.’ Before turning to and bowing. "Apollo, forgive the aforentioned cunt, Echemus. His brain is seriously wrong. He will not let go of this incident involving your sister and your Sapphire. I had, in blissful ignorance, forgot he was here when I asked you to bring out your little kitten."
"Oh right... Yeah, from registration, I rember now. Yeah, he pulled a gun on and wants to sue ? That’s hilarious. Don’t worry about it Yacob, he clearly has a screw loose. No offence. Chonk and I aren’t bothered by him, but if he badmouths Orchid again and calls her nas I will show him what an actual brute is." I said calmly, not threatening, but simply stating a fact.
Yacob nodded hearing this. "Fair, both your mindset and his potential fate. You are a good egg Apollo, now excuse while I go find a private room to discipline my nephew... It really isn’t his fault to be honest... It’s his upbringing. Being raised by a snively cunt tends to turn you into one. Once more, excuse ."
Yacob then walked over to Echemus who was beginning to stand up after his slap and before regaining balance was grabbed by his hair and violently pulled away, kicking and screaming the whole ti like a child throwing a temper tantrum..
"Jeez, I don’t know how I would react if my children ended up like that. Would disciplining them even be effective if they are that far gone?" I asked rhetorically before turning to Gabrielle. "What about you? Would you discipline your child?"
Gabrielle jolted before looking at with a smile that should not have had the reaction it had on as she replied. "Oh, No. I could never. Apollo, I would let my child get away with murder. He could do whatever he wanted to or anyone else and I wouldn’t bat an eye. My love for him would be unconditional and never ending. The thought of giving him a mont of pain or anguish again would be too much... A-And if any of my actions ever did cause him grief. If there ever was a ti my actions ant him abandoning . Leaving . Denying ... Well I would lose it. There would be no more point to life... I would just stop. I would-"
I pulled the woman into my embrace again. Hugging her, stroking her hair and began shushing thinking she was about to have another episode. "Gabrielle, please don’t finish that sentence. Don’t talk about doing that. Ever. Please never think those thoughts again. I am sorry I brought this up."
The woman was like broken glass, one mont she looked fine, the next she would shatter like this. I needed to use my heat to lt her back together and keep her whole. For so reason, my heart lurched at the thought of her ending that sentence. I did not like it one bit.
...
Gabrielle hugged her son. Such a good boy, pulling her out of her little cuckoo funk like that. True to her words. He asked her not to speak like that. She would never do so again around him. She wouldn’t think it, the potential dreadful future would be kept in the dark around her darling light. As she continued basking in yet another phenonal hug, her lips smirked as she reaffird the beginning of her thought process just then.
’ I will do anything he wants to do, no matter what. My son deserves anything and everything.’
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