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CHAPTER 144 — ALMOST THERE
It was massive. Easily as large as the queen ant had been. But this one was built for combat. Armored in layers of stone and organic plating. Six arms ending in claws that looked like they could shear through steel. A head that was more skull than flesh. And its eyes. Intelligent. Focused. Aware. This was the guardian. The protector of the three hearts. And it had been waiting for us. It clicked once. A sound like rocks grinding together. Then it charged. We split up. No discussion needed. Just instinct from too many battles. I went left. Casimir went right. The guardian had to choose. It chose me. Its claw came down like a falling boulder. I rolled under it. Came up slashing. My blade scraped against its armor. Barely scratched it. Too thick. Too protected. It spun. Faster than something that size should move. Another claw caught me in the ribs—the already-broken ones. I flew backward. Hit a heart chamber. Felt something inside me break. Couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Th
CHAPTER 143 — THE TOXIC DEEP
Chapter 9: The Toxic DeepI thought of Cent and Vivi as we stood on that poisoned beach.My little siblings. Seven and nine years old. Still innocent. Still believing the adults would keep them safe. They'd never seen an ocean. Never felt sand beneath their feet. Never watched waves roll toward shore.They should see this. Not like this—not toxic, not deadly. But an ocean. Real water stretching to the horizon. The way it was supposed to be.The way it used to be, before the Fall."Kae." Casimir's voice pulled me back. "We need to keep moving."I tore my gaze from the ocean. Looked at the hives in the distance. Rocky formations built into cliffs. Ancient-looking. Waiting."How far?" My voice was barely a whisper.He checked his flickering interface. "Ten kilometers. Maybe less."Ten kilometers. Might as well be ten thousand. Every part of me was dissolving. The toxic water had accelerated the poisoning. My skin was covered in chemical burns. My lungs felt like they were filled with aci
CHAPTER 142 — THE DROWNING APPROACH
"We find it. We destroy it."He stood. Somehow. I didn't know how he was still moving. Didn't know how I was still moving."Can you walk?" he asked.I tested my legs. They barely responded. But I could stand. Could move."I can walk."We started down the corridor. Deeper into the hive. The bioluminescence grew brighter. The heartbeat louder.The corridor opened into a chamber.And I understood why they called it the water-hive.The chamber was filled with liquid. Not toxic water—something else. Something clear and bioluminescent. Like liquid light. It filled the chamber to about waist height.And floating in it—suspended in that glowing fluid—were pods. Hundreds of them. Each one containing something. Growing. Developing."It's a nursery," Casimir said. "They're growing more mutants here."We waded into the fluid. It was warm. Almost comfortable. So different from the toxic water outside.But as we moved deeper, the pods around us began to pulse. To react to our presence.Something in
CHAPTER 141 — THE PLATFORM GUARDIAN
Its mouth opened wide, revealing rows of needle teeth.I dove sideways. The mutant's jaws snapped shut where I'd been standing. It crashed back into the water, sending toxic spray everywhere."They're getting aggressive!" Casimir had his knife out, scanning the water around us.Two more surfaces. Circling. Their bodies were built for this environment—streamlined, fast, deadly. Each one was easily three meters long.The first one lunged again. This time at Casimir. He sidestepped, slashed with his knife. Caught it across the snout. The mutant shrieked—a sound like tearing metal—and retreated.The second one came at me low. I couldn't dodge in time. It hit my injured leg, wrapping around it like a python. Squeezing.I felt bones grind. Felt my leg start to bend in directions it shouldn't. Drove both Chimera blades down into its skull. Energy discharge flooded through the creature. It spasmed. Released me. Fell back into the water, convulsing.The third one hit the platform from below. T
CHAPTER 139 — THE SOLDIER ANTS
Easily four times the size of the ones we'd been fighting. Its mandibles were like industrial shears. Its carapace looked thick enough to turn blades.It clicked once. The sound was like a gunshot.The smaller ant-mutants responded, moving into new formations around it. This was their commander. Their general.It looked at us with compound eyes that held unmistakable intelligence.Then it charged."Split up!" Casimir dove left.I went right. The soldier ant crashed between us, its momentum carrying it past. It skidded to a stop, turned with surprising speed for something so large.Smaller ant-mutants swarmed toward Casimir. He fought them off, but they were keeping him busy. Keeping him away.The soldier ant wanted me alone.It lunged. I rolled under its strike, came up slashing at its legs. My blade scraped against its carapace, barely scratching it. Too thick. Too armored.It spun, faster than it should have been able to. Its mandible caught my shoulder, closed like a vise. I felt b
CHAPTER 137 — THE MUTANT-PLANT FIELD
The mutants came at us in a wave. Dozens of them. Claws extended. Mandibles clicking. All hunger and rage."We can't fight them all at once!" I shouted over their shrieking."Then we don't!" Casimir veered left. "Split up! Cover more ground! Find the central blooms and destroy them!""How many are there?""Five! Big ones! You'll know them when you see them!" He was already moving away, cutting through mutants with brutal efficiency. "Meet at the center when you're done!"I wanted to argue. Wanted to tell him splitting up was suicide. But he was right—together, we'd be overwhelmed. Separated, we could move faster. Strike harder.I went right.Three mutants blocked my path immediately. Second-wave specimens. Smaller than what we'd fought before but fast. Coordinated.I activated my Chimera dual. Both blades ignited with crackling energy. The first mutant lunged. I sidestepped and brought both blades down on its neck. The energy discharge burned through armor and flesh. The creature's he
